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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. 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.
Extern helps students build an AI-powered portfolio by completing real projects with known companies to demonstrate practical AI skills. The platform offers experiments and externships that culminate in portfolio-ready deliverables and a free trial tier.
Extern provides hands-on externships where students complete real-world projects (e.g., for Beats by Dre, energy/VC scenarios) to build an AI portfolio. The user engages in structured programs lasting several weeks, performs tasks like project outputs, analyzes data, and builds deliverables (e.g., creative strategy frameworks, investment memos). Access includes a free trial with a subsequent paid monthly plan, and the platform catalogs projects with defined outputs and skills gained.
Who it’s for: Students seeking AI-focused experiential learning and portfolio-building opportunities; higher education contexts and early career entrants looking to showcase AI capabilities to employers.
marketing pages with multiple externship programs, pricing with free trial and subscription; references to university students and higher-ed resources
Matt is the Co-founder & CEO of Extern (www.extern.com) which created the remote Externship, a new form of work experience that lets people quickly build their resumes while giving companies expert-designed, turnkey projects that drive business outcomes. Extern was a pivot from Paragon One which was YC'W17. Matt previously co-founded e-commerce marketplace AHAlife, started his career at Morgan Stanley and TCV, and holds degrees from MIT in Computer Science & Engineering and Management Science.
Formerly “Paragon One” · why startups rename →
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