Announcing HackStars

#1

Post by brianculler » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 6:40 PM UTC

You do some unpaid programming for interesting TechStars startups, in exchange for the ability to listen to other startups get advice about their startups. Can't wait to sign up!

Announcing HackStars
techstars.org

Re: Announcing HackStars

#2

Post by pclark » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 6:49 PM UTC

wouldn't you agree internships are a good opportunity for students?

Seems like a similar thing but specifically orientated around startups. They should get (a slither) of equity, maybe..

Re: Announcing HackStars

#3

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 6:54 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Announcing HackStars

#4

Post by mhp » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 6:55 PM UTC

Unpaid internships are becoming EXTREMELY common (if not in the CS field, certainly elsewhere). In NYC this used to be only the case for fashion, but has now spread to basically every other industry.

We had a discussion the other day at lunch whether this was legal/ethical. I'm still not sure how I feel about it...

Re: Announcing HackStars

#5

Post by mechanical_fish » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 6:55 PM UTC

If you're going to donate this much of your time, spend it writing open source software. Stuff that you can take with you. Stuff that will remain in your toolkit and in your portfolio until you decide otherwise.

Re: Announcing HackStars

#6

Post by sachinag » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 6:57 PM UTC

mhp wrote: post #4

Unpaid internships are becoming EXTREMELY common (if not in the CS field, certainly elsewhere). In NYC this used to be only the case for fashion, but has now spread to basically every other industry. We had a discussion the other day at lunch whether this was legal/ethical. I'm still not sure how I feel about it...

(EDIT: I believe) It's ethical; (I'm not a lawyer, but lawyers have told me) it's only legal if the student gets class credit.

Re: Announcing HackStars

#7

Post by endtime » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 6:59 PM UTC

pclark wrote: post #2

wouldn't you agree internships are a good opportunity for students? Seems like a similar thing but specifically orientated around startups. They should get (a slither) of equity, maybe..

To me, an unpaid internship can make sense if you're making coffee and hoping to absorb some experience/wisdom from the bankers/lawyers/whoever you're working for. But if you're someone with actual skills (e.g. " a UI/UX guru and/or a strong coder with PHP, Java, Flex, .NET, Ruby/Rails, or Javascript skills"), making an actual contribution, you should be paid.

Re: Announcing HackStars

#8

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 6:59 PM UTC

[deleted] wrote: post #3

[deleted]

[deleted]

Re: Announcing HackStars

#9

Post by brianculler » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 7:01 PM UTC

[deleted] wrote: post #3

[deleted]

Right. Directly from their blog post:

"If you are a UI/UX guru and/or a strong coder with PHP, Java, Flex, .NET, Ruby/Rails, or Javascript skills"

Students looking to learn new skills are not "gurus". And gurus do not work for free.

Considering all the hurdles that a 3 month startup has to overcome, is it really prudent to be taking on greenhorn 2nd year students looking for internships? They've got 3 months to get a finished product out the door, they need rockstars to make it happen, not unpaid interns.

The point of these programs is to trade mentorship and money to technically competent teams in exchange for equity. If the startups are then turning around needing technical assistance from the get go, what exactly are they bringing to the table other than an MBA and an idea?

Re: Announcing HackStars

#10

Post by kapitti » Fri, Apr 03, 2009, 7:05 PM UTC

$6,000/founder and as many 0.375 FTE slaves as they can round up - MBAs around the globe rejoice, TechStars has solved the "I've got this amazing idea, if only I could find some developers" problem.