Extern (YC W17) — Professional experience Anytime, anywhere
At Extern, we’re solving the experience gap. Extern created the remote Externship, a skill-building work experience that is easier for students to access, and easier for companies to run, than an internship.
Extern is a Y Combinator company in the Winter 2017 batch. Its directory entry describes it as: Professional Experience Anytime, Anywhere. The founder listed is Matt Wilkerson (Founder/CEO) (Y Combinator directory entry, November 3, 2016).
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Example from a real report (our sample on Target): “Target eliminated approximately 1,800 corporate positions, with around 1,000 employees receiving layoff notices and the remainder accounted for by eliminating open roles.” Source: NBC News
At Extern, we’re solving the experience gap. Extern created the remote Externship, a skill-building work experience that is easier for students to access, and easier for companies to run, than an internship. Our mission is to help anyone discover and launch their career through professional experiences available anywhere at any time. Since 2020, we’ve created and powered Externships for over 50,000 students on behalf of companies from Fortune 500s to startups.
After spending $100K on average for a 4-year degree, graduates find that almost 40% of entry level jobs on Linkedin required 3+ years of work experience. Internships are how many college students get this kind of experience, but the demand for good internships outstrips the supply. Internship programs are difficult to scale, they favor students who already have social capital, and they’re time-consuming for employers to run.
Externships are short, online, project-based work experiences that employers can offer to hundreds of students using less resource and employee time than it would take to support an intern. Extern makes the complex process of running an Externship completely turnkey with software and industry experts which in turn makes professional experience more accessible to more students.
By making work experience more accessible, Extern is driving the rapid mobility and upskilling needed for a new economy. We envision a world where anyone can access work experience as a form of education – no matter their background, experience, or socio-economic status. Come join our movement to reshape work, education, and credentialing for future generations with the Externship.
Extern was born out of a pivot from Paragon One (W17) which initially focused on providing students with a career center-as-a-service platform, connecting them with industry professionals to receive career coaching and guidance. Backed by Y Combinator, Foundation Capital, Launch Fund, University Ventures, and Learn Capital.
Matt Wilkerson
Founder/CEO
Founders, titles and bios as the company published them. Photographs are our own copies of the ones on that record, so they do not break when the original link expires.
One of 19 companies held here in Consumer › Job and Career Services.
No investor is drawn from a Form D — the form states how many invested and never who. The one investor on this graph is named because a batch has exactly one.
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Example from a real report (our sample on Target): “Target eliminated approximately 1,800 corporate positions, with around 1,000 employees receiving layoff notices and the remainder accounted for by eliminating open roles.” Source: NBC News
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The Short Answer
Which Company This Is
What They Do, And How The Money Works
Who Runs It, And How To Reach Them
The Money: Funding, Valuation, Runway
Who Pays Them, And Who They Are Up Against
Warning Bells
Sources
1 cited source found
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