by Winter Wilson | August 14, 2023
Nico Molina had always been interested in the energy sector, but knew he wanted more applied learning outside of the classroom related to climate and energy. As a sophomore in college at Duke University, Nico decided to pursue a summer internship with Joules Accelerator to expand his experiences into the clean technology sector. What he did not know was that this experience would lead him to land his dream internship at Honeywell.
“I was very interested in the energy sector, but that’s not something you really learn in school,” said Nico. “The only way I could learn more about the cleantech space was through this summer work, and Joules is what got me interested and where I
got my hands dirty in the sector.”
For Nico, familiarity with the professional network was key. Joules Accelerator had
connections to the big players, and the internship exposed him to a network that allowed him to explore the ins and outs of the climate technology startup world.
“The whole point of an accelerator is their network,” said Nico. “It helped me as an intern to explore places I might be interested in and help me hone in on Honeywell. It also taught me how to interact with startup founders in the cleantech space, how to reach out to people and more.”
Nico believed that some of the biggest questions students worried about when considering places to intern were: should I intern at a large or small organization? Something well-established or up-and-coming? For Nico, Joules Accelerator was the perfect middle ground, where he was able to interact with many startups while gaining experience with the broader startup accelerator and ecosystem of large corporate stakeholders.
At Joules, Nico found value in being paired up with startups, learning what their needs are, how they look to competitors and how startup founders think their products fit into different markets. At Honeywell, he will be continuing work in the cleantech space, working as part of the Smart Energy Division. Nico says he still hears mention of Joules Accelerator in his day-to-day encounters at
Honeywell.
“It’s exciting when I hear the Joules name,” he said. “I started there!”
Are you or someone you know interested in internships in the climate technology and clean energy startup space? Learn more and apply now at joulesaccelerator.com/internships
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