To start, complete our Company Participation Form to highlight your hiring needs. Let’s get you on-boarded to the Hacker Fellows program!
Hacker Fellows addresses the #1 problem tech startups in Michigan report: finding top developer talent. It is a program of ID Ventures, the venture team of Invest Detroit, which has a portfolio of 90+ companies and two tech-based investment funds.
The primary goals of Hacker Fellows are:
• Attract software developers to Michigan startups
• Promote job creation within the tech community
• Connecting Michigan startups and development talent
• Boost Hacker Fellows compensation by ~$25,000 to help attract and retain top talent
• Create a platform for mentoring, relationships and collaboration within the tech and investment community
Each year, the program accepts 15 Fellows and 10 Interns.
• Fellows are recent graduates that attend a 5-week training program to become a full-time employee for one year. Check the 2019 calendar here.
• Interns are current students who attend a 1-week training program to become an intern for a 3-month summer program. The 2019 Hacker Fellows internship program runs from May 19, 2019 until July 26, 2019. Check the full 2019 calendar here.
How does it work?
1. The Hacker team encourages applications through marketing and campus recruitment. We then interview potential fellows and interns to ensure a strong candidate pool.
2. We then begin a matchmaking process through an online portal where companies create profiles and rank applicants based on job position preferences.
3. Interviews are scheduled for you to meet with matched fellows.
4. The Hacker team then provides a bootcamp to sharpen skills.
5. The work begins.
Please see here for the 2019 Fellows calendar
Please see here for the 2019 Intern calendar
At the end of the fellow or intern’s assignment, companies and fellows will determine the employment path moving forward. We hope that the employment arrangement continues between the two parties, but Hacker Fellows will provide no additional compensation boost after the end of the term.
Hacker Fellows are expected to receive a starting annualized salary of $60,000. To offset part of this cost, Invest Detroit / Hacker Fellows will pay participating startup companies an annualized grant valued at $15,000. The participating startup will pay the hired Hacker Fellow their full compensation directly and the Hacker Fellows program will provide a grant to the company on a monthly basis.
In addition, Invest Detroit will cover all costs associated with the bootcamp as well as fellows living expenses during the bootcamp. Expenses associated with the bootcamp include room, board, parking, move-in bonus and incidentals – valued at ~$9,600. Companies will not be involved in the payments associated with the bootcamp training.
Companies will receive a monthly grant of $1,363.63 from Invest Detroit / Hacker Fellows. To receive this grant, companies will invoice Invest Detroit and complete a quarterly survey required by our funding partners detailing company progress in regards to hiring, financials, fund-raising, as well as general feedback on the program.
There are no requirements for specific company benefits that must be provided to fellows, but we do expect that startup companies will treat fellows like employees and offer those benefits that are typically offered to company employees.
We will have ongoing programming for the fellows throughout their 1-year experience. We don’t anticipate any compulsory programming that requires fellows to have any extended absence from the company, but we hope you’ll allow fellows to participate in future events to support the program including professional workshops, career fairs, panel discussions, and graduation events.
The expectation of the Hacker Fellows program is that fellows will complete the fellowship at the startup company they are matched with at the start of the program. However, employment is at will and both the startup company and the fellow have the option to terminate the agreement at any time. Hacker Fellows encourages companies to communicate workplace hurdles with both the fellow and the program. Hacker Fellows will be actively involved in coaching fellows and companies throughout the employment period in an effort to mitigate termination. The salary boost will be immediately terminated in the event that the fellow does not complete their full year-term.
In the event that your startup company moves outside of the state, your fellow should have the option to stay in Michigan and work remotely, but if they leave the state the compensation subsidy from the fellowship will not be fully executed.
Sam Ging, Hacker Fellows Program Director: sam@hackerfellows.com | 248-505-3027
Bradley Hoos, Hacker Fellows Executive Director: brad@hackerfellows.com | 313-320-1010