For Parents of High School Students in Business-Related Fields — Class of 2027, 2028 & 2029

Same Grades. Different Outcomes.
How an Internship Gets Your Child Into an Elite University

Most high school students applying to top programs look identical on paper. The ones who get in have something others don't: real, verifiable professional experience at a venture-backed company. Watch the video to see how Matchtern makes that possible.

Venture-backed companies only
4-week professional training
100% satisfaction guarantee

Already seen enough? Applications for the Summer 2026 cohort are now open.

Apply to Matchtern Now →

Spots are limited per cohort. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are not satisfied at any point in the program, we will issue a full refund. No questions asked.

The real problem

Grades and test scores aren’t enough anymore. Here’s what admissions officers actually see.

Every year thousands of students with strong GPAs and top test scores get rejected from their target schools. The reason isn’t academic , it’s that their applications look identical to everyone else’s.

Admissions officers at top schools read thousands of nearly identical applications every cycle. Clubs, volunteering, tutoring, and academic awards no longer differentiate a business-track student from the next one.

Most extracurriculars are resume padding. Without measurable impact at a real company and a professional reference from someone in the business world, they are invisible in a competitive pool.

Students interested in business-related fields such as finance, economics, or marketing need more than a case competition or a school club to stand out. They need proof they can operate in a real professional environment.

Cold outreach to companies doesn’t work for high schoolers. Without the right network and training, securing a meaningful internship independently is nearly impossible , regardless of how qualified a student is.

The Matchtern difference

We give your child the one thing that makes their application impossible to ignore.

Matchtern is a selective internship placement program for high school students pursuing business-related fields such as finance, economics, marketing, and operations. We pre-train students, place them at real venture-backed companies, and stay involved throughout to ensure every student performs, grows, and walks away with a story worth telling.

01
4-Week Training Program
Students learn professional communication, business fundamentals, and workplace skills before setting foot in a company. They arrive ready to contribute from day one.
02
Placement at a Venture-Backed Company
We match each student to a company based on their specific interests and intended field. Real work, real contributions, not busy work or group case projects.
03
Ongoing Mentorship During Internship
A dedicated Matchtern mentor stays involved throughout the entire internship with weekly check-ins, continued training, and real-time guidance for both the student and the company.
04
A Professional Reference and a Story
Students leave with a reference from a real founder or operator and a college application narrative colleges genuinely haven’t heard before.

How it works

Three steps from application to internship.

1
Apply and get accepted
Submit a short application. We review it and schedule a brief interview to assess your child’s potential, interests, intended field, and availability. We only accept students we’re confident we can place and train successfully. Decisions within 72 hours.
2
Complete the 4-week training program
Students work through Matchtern’s curriculum covering professional communication, business operations, deliverable production, and startup context. Fully remote, built around their school schedule.
3
Get placed and mentored throughout
We match each student to the right company based on their interests and intended major. A Matchtern mentor checks in weekly, provides continued training, and ensures the student is growing and contributing for the entire duration of the internship.

How we compare

Other programs charge up to $8,000. Without a guaranteed placement.

Matchtern program fee
$1,950
Guaranteed placement included
Comparable programs charge between $4,000 and $8,000+ for program access, often without any guarantee of an actual internship placement. Matchtern charges a fraction of that, guarantees a real placement at a venture-backed company, and includes dedicated mentor support throughout the entire internship.
Feature Matchtern Ladder Internships Standout Search VTSP (Harvard-affiliated) The Knowledge Society
Guaranteed placement ✓ Guaranteed ~ Sometimes ~ Sometimes ✗ Project only ✗ No placement
Real individual internship ✓ Always ~ Sometimes ~ Sometimes ✗ Team project ✗
Venture-backed companies only ✓ Always ~ Sometimes ~ Sometimes ✓ ✗
Professional training before placement ✓ 4 weeks ✗ ✗ ✓ Workshops ✓ General
Ongoing mentorship during internship ✓ Dedicated mentor ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗
Professional reference from founder ✓ ~ Sometimes ~ Sometimes ✗ ✗
Tailored to student’s field ✓ Always ~ Limited ~ Limited ✓ ✗
Satisfaction guarantee ✓ Full refund ✗ ✗ ✗ ✗
Program duration 3 months 2 months Varies 6 weeks 10 weeks
Typical program fee $1,950 $2,990 to $4,000+ $3,000+ $4,785 + $35 fee $6,000+

VTSP (Venture & Tech Summer Program) is a 6-week project-based program where students work in teams on a startup project. Students work alongside a startup but do not hold individual intern roles or receive individual professional references. Tuition is $4,750 plus a $35 application fee. The program was formerly run in collaboration with Harvard Undergraduate Ventures.

What families say

Real students. Real placements. Real outcomes.

My daughter had a strong GPA but her application looked the same as everyone else’s. After Matchtern, she had a real internship at a venture-backed AI company to write about. She got into her first-choice school.

Parent of 11th Grader
Student placed at a venture-backed AI company

I didn’t think a high schooler could get a real internship. Matchtern made it happen. The training program alone was worth the investment. My son learned more in 4 weeks than in a year of school.

Parent of 10th Grader
Student placed at FinTech company

The professional reference from the founder completely changed the tone of my child’s application. His college counselor said it was the most compelling EC she had seen in years.

Parent of 12th Grader
Student placed at venture-backed AI tech company
100%
Placement rate for every accepted student
4-week
Training program before every placement
100%
Satisfaction guarantee. Full refund if not satisfied.

Is Matchtern right for your child?

This program is selective by design.

Matchtern is built for students pursuing business-related fields such as finance, economics, marketing, operations, or strategy. If your child is drawn to how businesses actually run and has the drive to prove it, this is the right program.

Matchtern is for you if...
  • → Your child is in grades 9 to 11 and serious about college admissions
  • → They are pursuing business, finance, economics, marketing, or similar fields
  • → They demonstrate high potential and raw intelligence
  • → They can commit 5 to 10 hours per week during the program
  • → You want a verifiable professional experience, not a resume filler
Matchtern may not be for you if...
  • – Your child isn’t ready to take on real professional responsibility
  • – You’re looking for a low-effort extracurricular to check a box
  • – Your child’s schedule has no flexibility in the next 6 weeks
  • – You’re expecting a guaranteed Ivy League admission

Summer 2026 cohort

The next cohort is filling up. Don’t wait until the spots are gone.

Matchtern accepts a limited number of students per cohort to maintain placement quality. Every student is individually vetted and matched.

Next cohort
Summer 2026
Spots remaining
Limited
Applications
Rolling basis
Program fee
$1,950
Secure Your Child’s Spot →

Common questions

Everything you need to know before applying.

The placement fee is $1,950 for the Summer 2026 cohort. This covers the 4-week training program, company matching, placement, a dedicated mentor throughout the internship, and continued student support. The company receives your child’s work at no cost to them. If you are not satisfied at any point, we will issue a full refund.
The work is tailored to your child’s specific interests and intended field of study. A student interested in finance might work on financial modeling or market research. A student interested in marketing might build a go-to-market strategy. A student interested in operations might support process building or data analysis. Every placement starts with a scoping call where we build a task brief specific to your child’s goals and the company’s needs.
Real individual internships. Unlike programs where students work in teams on a structured case project, Matchtern students are placed individually at a venture-backed company as the sole intern. They produce actual deliverables used by the company, receive direct mentorship from the founding team, and earn a personal professional reference. A Matchtern mentor also stays involved weekly throughout the entire internship.
We’ve maintained a 100% placement rate for accepted students. We only accept students we are confident we can place, and we do not stop working until they are. In the unlikely event we cannot find a suitable match within 30 days of training completion, we will work with you directly to find a resolution and you are entitled to a full refund.
If you are not satisfied at any point during the Matchtern program, we will issue a full refund. No complicated process, no conditions. We stand behind the quality of our program and our placements, and we only keep your investment if you feel it was worth it.
Programs like VTSP charge $4,785 for a 6-week team project at a startup, not an individual internship. Students work in groups on a structured case study rather than as a solo intern with real responsibilities. Ladder and Standout Search are placement services that sometimes secure internships but offer no training, no ongoing mentor support, and no satisfaction guarantee. Matchtern gives you all of this at $1,950 with a full refund guarantee.

Don’t wait until senior year

The students who get into top colleges start building their standout extracurricular now.

Every year students with identical grades and identical extracurriculars apply to the same top-20 schools. The ones who get in have a story. Matchtern gives your child that story, backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Apply to the Summer 2026 Cohort →

Application takes less than 5 minutes. Full refund guarantee if not satisfied.

Apply now

Secure your child’s spot in the Summer 2026 cohort.

Fill out the short form below. Our committee reviews every application personally and responds within 48 hours.

Student information
Parent information

Our committee reviews every application personally and responds within 48 hours.

Matchtern is selective
We select only students with the highest potential and raw intelligence who we are confident we can train and place successfully. Every student in our program has been individually vetted to ensure they can perform at the level our partner companies expect. This selectivity is what makes the internship meaningful and the reference credible. Our committee reviews every application personally and responds within 48 hours.