Project
efactory’s Entrepreneurship Intern Pilot Program
Entrepreneurship is deeply rooted in The Hatch Foundation’s story and something we believe makes Springfield uniquely special. When we learned about efactory’s new pilot program, we were excited by the opportunity to support both local entrepreneurs and Missouri State University students. Programs like this help connect students with Springfield's small business community while giving them a first hand look at the opportunities that exist right here in our city.
This program connects talented students with efactory incubator member companies, providing hands-on experience while strengthening early-stage businesses. By investing in structured, meaningful internships and entrepreneurial education, including The Great Game of Business framework, we are advancing our mission to cultivate innovation, strengthen Springfield’s talent pipeline, and retain emerging talent in our region.
Project Details
We believe thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems begin with access to opportunity, mentorship, and meaningful, real-world experience.
Through our support of Missouri State University’s efactory Entrepreneurship Intern Pilot Program, we are investing directly in the future of business leadership across our region.
Hatch served as the 2025-2026 program sponsor. The program has connected five - ten Missouri State University students each semester with efactory incubator member companies at no cost to the participating businesses. Interns engage in structured, semester-long projects that address real operational and strategic needs, allowing early-stage companies to expand capacity, advance critical initiatives, and benefit from fresh insight. In turn, students gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience, develop essential business skills, and build professional networks within the local startup community.
During the 2025 spring semester alone, students collectively contributed 725 hours of work with participating member companies. The experience has also proven to be a meaningful talent pipeline, with currently five students ultimately hired into full-time roles with their host companies as a direct result of the opportunity.
This initiative is fully funded through December 2026 through grant support from the Missouri Technology Corporation’s MOBEC program, covering all student wages and ensuring a risk-free model for participating companies. As a program sponsor, the Hatch Foundation provides both financial support and strategic partnership, reinforcing our long-standing commitment to fostering innovation and economic vitality.
A distinguishing element of the program is the integration of The Great Game of Business MiniGames, through which interns learn foundational financial and operational principles and develop customized improvement strategies for their host companies. By strengthening student talent pipelines and supporting emerging businesses simultaneously, this program creates a powerful win-win model where talent meets opportunity and our region’s entrepreneurial future grows stronger.
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