At Praxis, we pride ourselves on our growing and diverse network of business partners all across the United States. Participants accepted to the program have the opportunity to join some of the most interesting, innovative, and passionate high-growth businesses, see how they operate over an intense 10-month experience, and learn directly from founders and executives. But what makes a business partner? Why does Praxis work with the companies we do?
A Praxis business partner is chosen based on several criteria all connected to the experience provided to the participant. The Business Development team focuses on targeting companies that not only could use high-caliber young talent, but also would provide a challenging, fun, and educational experience to participants. We also shoot for a diverse portfolio of business partners, to help accommodate the needs and interests of any accepted applicants.
The kinds of companies that provide challenging, fun, and educational experiences to participants tend to all have several characteristics in common:
- They’re growing quickly.
- They’re small (i.e., they aren’t a Fortune 500 company … yet).
- They work in an interesting industry or create or produce an innovative service or product for an existing industry.
- The executive team is involved on a day-to-day basis.
- They need diverse talent that can work in several areas of the company.
This defines a pretty large group of businesses — everything from high-growth startups to established Inc. 5000 companies — but the important characteristic is that they can provide a worthwhile experience to Praxis participants.
This means there are at least two groups that a participant wouldn’t be sent to — mom-and-pop small businesses and Initech-like massive corporations where interns and new hires grab coffee and stare down spreadsheets all day — we focus intensely on sending participants to companies that need young, excited talent willing to put their noses to the grindstones, and are doing something worth doing.
This doesn’t just mean that Praxis is working with tech startups and companies in the stereotypical “entrepreneurship” space. Our business partners sit in a variety of industries, including, but not limited to:
- Consumer Tech
- Enterprise Tech
- Energy
- Manufacturing
- Hospitality Services
- Construction
- Marketing
- Advertising
- Boutique retail/eCommerce
- B2B Services
- Real Estate
- Finance/Hedge Funds
- Security
Each business partner provides a diverse set of experiences to participants. One day, a participant might be planning an event at the botique hotel she works at, the next day she might be working the front desk with high-level clients. Or a participant might work as an executive apprentice at an ad agency, providing resources and backup for the President or CEO during business development negotiations. Or a participant might work doing a little bit of everything at an eCommerce company that pulls in seven figures every year, even taking control of the company for short periods of time while the owner is on business trips.
There is no one type of company Praxis sends participants to, but all companies that work with Praxis have these characteristics. All new business partners are vetted by Praxis staff to make sure that they would actually provide this experience, and staff work throughout the program to monitor quality experience for participants at business partners.
Want to see what it is like to run an Inc 5000 company? How about a growing regional security firm? Try out your hand at working at a growing tech startup. Apply to Praxis today.
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FAQAugust 25, 2015
