Top Business Internships for High School Students in 2025
by
Indigo Research Team
&
Published:
January 31, 2025
Last Updated:
January 31, 2025
Today's high-school students are not just learning about business — they are running it. Business internships for high school students are training the next generation of leaders in competencies that used to be reserved for veteran executives. These programs give them hands-on training for different business functions, such as marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, and management.
A business internship for high school students can be a great starting point for students who plan to build a startup or become corporate leaders in the future. This guide highlights some of the best business internships in 2025. Read on to find out what these programs offer and what it takes to get accepted.
Here are some of the best business programs for high schoolers:
Building-U is a charity organization that invites high school students to assume leadership roles in the administrative aspect of the organization. Interns join dedicated teams that solve real-world business problems and produce authoritative content and materials.
Students engage in different types of projects in niches like:
Other areas include animation, coding, business and development, and social media content. Besides all the practical work, interns sharpen their communication skills and get first-hand experience in business operations.
The Microsoft Discovery Program is one of the best business technology internships. This 4-week program exposes high school students to the tech industry, especially the product design phase of the product development cycle. Researchers and interns are placed in small groups to work on projects for a particular product line. This experience gives them a real-world perspective on topics such as software engineering, product management, and UX design.
Interns also learn how to identify customer problems and create solutions to fill them. Besides project work, students gain foundational skills and mentorship from Microsoft employees. This program aims to help students translate their passions into successful careers in technology.
The Athena Summer Innovation Institute is one of the best business internships in New York City. This 3-week boot camp inspires high school students to think outside the box. Teams work together to build startups, nonprofits, and unconventional campaign initiatives that drive meaningful change.
Students also attend workshops on financing, negotiation, and branding. They receive guidance from the Program Manager, Lead Instructor, and Mentor-in-Residence. In the end, they leave with hands-on knowledge, leadership skills, and the competence to lead and innovate. Additionally, students in the Pre-Baccalaureate Program receive 3 college credits and a Barnard College transcript.
If you're looking for comprehensive business internships in Washington DC, you might want to try out the High School Business Internship with PNNL. It combines academics with real-world experience. Students spend their day attending regular class sessions and working 4 hours per day with a mentor in one business field. The program also includes leadership development exercises such as lab demonstrations, field trips, and career workshops.
This internship is part of PNNL’s overall commitment to student development, which includes securing internship opportunities for students with programs such as the National Security Internship Program. Some candidates also earn a spot on collaborative projects with other institutions like the University of Maryland.
The KPMG Future Leaders Program is a charity that supports women in business and STEM communities. The program chooses 22 top female high school seniors each year to receive yearly scholarships, mentorship, leadership development programs, mentorship, and an introduction to golf games. The program is supported by the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and KPMG Women's Leadership Summit. It focuses on self-discovery and professional development during college.
Since its launch in 2016, the Future Leaders Program has given out almost $6.2 million in scholarships to 188 participants. It's not just an internship—it's empowerment for young women to be world-class scholars and excel in meaningful careers in underrepresented fields.
The Venture Analyst Internship at 1435 Capital Management is one of the best business programs for high schoolers who are passionate about finance and venture capital. Interns spend 10 weeks working full-time in a specialized venture capital firm. They engage in investment research, keep track of portfolio companies, source deals, and conduct market research.
They also work with startups and help out with administrative duties. The Venture Analyst Internship combines hands-on learning, with network building, and knowledge. These are valuable skills that will best you up for a successful career in finance and entrepreneurship.
The Project Pull Internship matches bright high school and college students from all over San Francisco with job opportunities in the public sector. The program was founded in 1996 by Harlan L. Kelly, Jr. and Robert Mason to "pull" young talent into the public sector by connecting them with experts in architecture, business, and engineering.
Interns learn to lead, collaborate, and innovate, as they gain community service experience. Project Pull teaches civic pride and connects students to careers in the City and County of San Francisco. It lasts for 8 weeks during the summer and requires you to commit to work 20 hours a week.
The Wharton Global Youth Program is one of the top business internships offering both online and on-campus programs. It offers in-depth learning experiences in finance, business, and leadership. The highlight of the program is the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, a team-based competition where students model real-life investing through an online stock market simulator.
Students also learn to create strategies and acquire other fundamental skills such as risk management, communication, teamwork, and industry analysis. They are taught entrepreneurship, economics, and leadership in practical workshops and classes.
The Bella Abzug Leadership Institute (BALI) trains young individuals from underrepresented communities to become effective leaders across civic, political, and corporate environments. BALI targets female-identifying persons, LGBTQI and gender-expansive people. It provides skill-building and social-emotional learning programs that develop participants' abilities to succeed as leaders.
The program gives priority to young people from underserved communities so they can access transformative opportunities. For 6 weeks, 3 separate cohorts (60 trainees per cohort) attend the workshops and seminars. These programs teach them essential knowledge, leadership skills, and self-confidence necessary for making meaningful contributions across multiple life areas.
The Indigo Research Intensive Seasonal (IRIS) Program is one of the best remote business research programs for summer 2025. It offers courses in various fields including Engineering, AI, Entrepreneurship, and Economics. In the Entrepreneurship course, you'll engage in interactive discussion sessions, analyze real-world case studies, and complete targeted assignments to master core entrepreneurial concepts and skills. You'll progress through critical stages of entrepreneurship: from ideation and market research to the creation and refinement of a business plan.
The program also engages students in important tasks ranging from ideation and research to writing a business plan and publishing a research paper in prestigious journals.
Business internships for high school students can help you gain experience across multiple industries and develop real-world skills that will help you get ahead in life. These entrepreneur internships are not just to build resumes, they are life-changing experiences for emerging leaders.
Transform your entrepreneurial journey beyond internships with our IRIS Summer Program, where you'll master business innovation and market research under Carnegie Mellon professors while strengthening your college applications. Through this 6-week intensive program, you'll analyze real-world case studies, explore global business dynamics, and develop a comprehensive business plan that showcases your strategic thinking to college admissions officers.
