Lauder Internship Funding Powers Student Impact in Startups and Emerging Markets

Published September 15, 2025

Since 2017, the Lauder Institute has supported select students with funding for summer internships around the world through its Leadership Immersion Internship program. The funding, which subsidizes living expenses for eight- to twelve-week internships, allows students to take on high-impact roles at organizations and start-ups that might not otherwise afford MBA-level talent, offering unparalleled opportunities for leadership development, strategic problem-solving, and hands-on experience. As one student noted, the funding “freed me to target a role that matched my studies and long-term goals instead of defaulting to a better-paid, less relevant position elsewhere.”

This past summer, three Lauder students – Dania Cortes Cervantes, Jhonny Georges, and Long Pham – leveraged this support to take on transformative roles in Brazil, Venezuela, and the United States.

In São Paulo, Dania Cortes Cervantes (Latin America–Portuguese Program) joined an AI-driven health-tech start-up that helps hospitals and clinics prevent and contest insurance payment denials. Working entirely in Portuguese, she created the company’s first national go-to-market playbook, launched its inaugural CRM, and embedded GPT-powered tools to streamline workflows. Cortes Cervantes noted that navigating Brazil’s complex reimbursement rules strengthened her regulatory diligence and sharpened her ability to evaluate future health-care or fintech deals.

“Coming straight from business school, I could not have absorbed 11 weeks of São Paulo living expenses on my own. The Lauder funding turned an otherwise prohibitive opportunity into a formative experience, giving me first-hand startup operating exposure and a level of cultural and linguistic fluency that will compound throughout my career,” she said.

In Caracas, Jhonny Georges (Latin America–Portuguese Program) stepped into the role of Interim CFO at a grocery delivery start-up preparing for launch. He built the company’s first three-statement financial model and valuation framework while advising on fundraising and strategy.

“My most important accomplishment was building a full financial model from scratch. This is a skill I can apply across industries,” Georges said. “The Lauder Summer Funding was key. It gave me the opportunity to take the risk of coming to Venezuela and contribute to building something from the ground up. These types of experiences make us well-rounded professionals.”

Beyond gaining technical skills, Georges also strengthened his ties within the Venezuelan start-up ecosystem, a network the Venezuelan native sees as critical for his long-term career.

In New York, Long Pham, a Vietnamese student in the Global Program, interned with Pac Pac Snacks, a food start-up specializing in Japanese-inspired konjac jelly snacks. The company was founded by Lauder alumnus Michael Rosenzweig (G’19, WG’19). With its snacks already sold in more than 200 U.S. stores, Pac Pac offered Pham a chance to learn how an emerging brand scales in a competitive consumer market. An aspiring entrepreneur himself, Pham worked closely with Rosenzweig on go-to-market strategy, pricing analysis, wholesale expansion, and new product launches.

“The Lauder summer funding gave me the freedom to choose an experience that truly reflected my interests in brand-building, consumer innovation, and cultural entrepreneurship,” Pham said. He also credits Rosenzweig as an exceptional mentor, noting that “working with a fellow Lauder graduate showed me firsthand the strength of the Lauder network. It’s a network that doesn’t just connect us professionally but actively supports our growth on a personal level.” ■

Established through the generosity of Tom Bendheim G’90 WG’90 and Rene Kern G’90 WG’90, the Lauder Leadership Immersion Internships are supported by the Lauder Annual Fund, as well as by contributions from Danton Goei G’90 WG’90 and the Geldzweig family.

Story by Lauren Treutler