Company: Sloan Ventures
Position: BioMedical Engineering Intern
Dates: Approx. Aug 31 – Dec 18, 2026 (total about 14-16 weeks)
Location: Remote
Hours: 15-20 hours/week
Compensation: Unpaid
Training/Learning Opportunity
This is a unique learning opportunity for the entrepreneurial engineer with an interest in the commercialization of medical devices. This is not a traditional “hands-on” engineering internship. Instead, interns will be undertaking a significant amount of literature research into engineering technology, clinical studies and the business operating environment. The program equips the intern with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the startup environment and understand what investors look for in a medical device startup. Interns also leave with an in-depth understanding of at least one specific area of medical device technology. This is an extension of the highly successful program hosted by Hunniwell Lake. Ventures (www.hunniwell.com) and is now led and managed by the same founder and principal.
Company
Sloan Ventures (“SVC”) is a Palo Alto-based venture capital fund investing in leading-edge medical devices that help our physicians See, Treat and Heal better. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, it is currently focused on medical devices for cardiology, neurology and surgical oncology.
Now in its seventh year and admitting its 21st cohort, this industry-leading program is seeking to invite a select number of finance and business students to participate in a structured learning environment over a 14–16-week period in the Fall. The finance and business interns may be working alongside engineering interns, other members of the firm and senior managers of its portfolio companies.
Structure of Program
The internship program is modelled along the lines of an academic program one may experience in college, but featuring engagement with current real-world business problems, data and people. There are three key components to the internship, namely:
1) Weekly Seminar
A two-hour seminar each week discussing various aspects of the venture capital business and the medical device development process (from conceptualization to commercialization). This will be in the form of either an interactive presentation or the occasional recorded lecture. Where schedules permit, guest speakers may be invited to speak on specialized topics. These lectures are designed to equip interns with the necessary skills to perform the rest of the internship.
2) Weekly Assignments and Projects
Weekly assignments to reinforce one’s understanding of various concepts taught in the seminar, alongside one or two multi-week projects on a particular medical or business topic. Interns will be expected to present the outcome of their projects to peers and other partners/members of the firm.
3) One-on-One Mentorship
Personalized one-on-one mentorship with a partner of the firm each week to review and set learning objectives, review seminar content and to receive guidance on assignments and projects. Based on individual needs, additional mentoring hours may be made available upon request.
Job Description
The Intern will gain practical exposure to venture capital, medical device development, healthcare technology evaluation, and financial modeling.
1. Participate in up to 30 hours of lectures (some previously recorded) on
- The venture capital process
- The medical device development process (from conceptualization to commercialization)
- Basic financial modeling in Excel
2. Undertake assigned readings to either prepare for discussion in the seminar or to supplement one’s understanding of the various topics covered in the seminar
3. Through the weekly assignments, understand or learn to do the following:
- Identify key technology and business differentiators
- Conduct and formulate clinical needs analysis
- Identify basis for sustainable competitive advantage
- Validate key claims made by startups
- Build financial models to simulate LP-GP distribution waterfalls, economics of a startup’s projected financials or health provider economics
4. Through the multi-week projects, learn to do the following:
- Research in depth a specific area of medical device or technology (e.g. Deep Brain Stimulation, or Intra-operative visualization of cancers)
- Undertake market analysis of the chosen sub-segment or technology
- Identify key medical/engineering challenges, and research alternative state-of-the-art solutions
- Compare and contrast the potential and limitation of the various alternative solutions
- Review and critique clinical trial design and clinical evidence, if available
5. Under the right circumstances, interns may be invited to various online pitch events and interviews with founders of start-up companies. Should SVC enter into due diligence with a start-up company, interns may also be invited to participate in the due diligence exercise.
6. In early January each year, a small select group of interns may also be invited to join the SVC team at some of the satellite events at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.
Time Commitment
This is a part-time, remote internship requiring approximately 15–20 hours per week, with reasonable flexibility for exams and holidays.
Interns should be reachable for occasional calls during California business hours, Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. PT. Weekly seminars and scheduled meetings will take place at agreed-upon times, while most assignments and projects may be completed on a flexible schedule.
Desired Skills & Qualifications
• Undergraduate, Master’s, or PhD student in Biomedical, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field
• Interest in the commercial application of medical devices
• Programming experience in one or more languages commonly used in engineering and data analysis, such as Python, MATLAB, C/C++, or R
• Ability to use coding for data analysis, modeling, simulation, automation, or prototyping; familiarity with Git or other version-control tools is a plus
• Strong computer skills and general business acumen
• Disciplined, self-motivated, detail-oriented, and eager to learn
• Able to work independently and collaboratively
• Prior internship, research, or technical project experience preferred but not required