Underwritten by the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Opportunity Machine's Emerging Tech Internship Program was designed to provide real-world experience to seniors and recent graduates from UL's School of Computing and Informatics while offering local startups the technical talent needed to launch and expand their tech products.
The students worked directly with startup leaders to tackle a variety of projects, including developing custom AI chatbots, creating mobile applications from web platforms, and conducting advanced data analytics to support business intelligence, according to a statement from OM.
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The students' contributions were invaluable for Atlais, an advanced AI and data analysis startup designed to support law enforcement agencies.
Ryan Bourque, founder of Atlais, said the involvement of students Subigya Gautam and Andrew Stelly significantly accelerated their product development, enabling Atlais to successfully launch its platform with its first beta user immediately after the internship ended.
"You get to learn the fundamentals in school, but that doesn't do working in a team on a real-world project justice," Stelly said. "It was really exciting to actually build something — it refreshed my spirits and made me excited for my future career."
Lowering the barrier to access tech talent and accelerating development can make a crucial difference in helping startups reach that critical momentum point, according to Destin Ortego, executive director at Opportunity Machine.
"A lot of times, early-stage tech startups face a catch-22: They need talent to build their product, but they lack the resources needed to acquire that talent early on. Students face a similar dilemma — they need experience to land a job, but they need a job to gain that experience. This program was our way of bridging that gap, providing a solution for both startups and students." Ortego noted that even after building an initial product, startups often operate with limited resources until they gain significant momentum.
The concept for the Opportunity Machine was born in 2009 at a LEDA retreat to help small businesses accelerate and grow the local economy. In 2022, the incubator for start-up businesses expanded into a new, permanent home in downtown Lafayette.
"Lafayette's tech sector is growing; and programs such as this demonstrate the employment opportunities available to keep our tech graduates here and bring new talent to the region," said Mandi Mitchell, president and CEO of LEDA.
"The Emerging Tech Internship Program has provided invaluable benefits to both the students and local tech startups this summer, she said. "In addition to providing hands-on work experience to the students, the program allowed these startups to develop digital applications that will help grow their business and contribute to the region's economic diversification."
After seeing the success of this pilot program, Opportunity Machine plans to continue offering and expand the Emerging Tech Internship Program in the future. Anyone interested in participating in this program in the future is encouraged to reach out to hello@opportunitymachine.org to learn more.
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