Position Profile - Government & External Relations Intern

ventureLAB Innovation Centre is looking for a dynamic Government & External Relations Intern to support our strategic stakeholder initiatives. You will execute a defined project charter bridging public policy research, international delegation logistics, and stakeholder database mapping to build a professional portfolio.

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Responsibilities:

Project Deliverables (Project Charter)

• Policy Briefing Pack: Research and draft a standalone policy briefing dossier analyzing regional tech regulatory changes and their impact on Canada's deep-tech sector.
• International Delegation Playbook: Build a standardized briefing kit and run-of-show logistics template for hosting incoming international trade and government delegations.
• Partner Analytics Matrix: Perform an audit of public-sector stakeholder data, organizing a categorized tracking matrix in Salesforce/G-Suite.
• Strategic Reports & Memos: Draft a portfolio of clear policy memos, executive presentation decks, and industry trend summaries for intergovernmental strategy.

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What We're Looking For

• Enrolled in or recently graduated from a post-secondary program in Political Science, Public Administration, Business, Economics, or Public Affairs.
• Interest in public policy, corporate strategy, and intergovernmental tech relations.
• Strong analytical, research, and writing skills to synthesize complex regulatory information into clear briefs.
• Basic familiarity with spreadsheets, CRM tools (Salesforce, Google Drive), or policy research methods.

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Allowance and Work Model

• To mitigate personal financial impact for those commuting to or working alongside the ventureLAB team in Markham, all participants qualify for a Monthly Travel and Meal Allowance of up to $1,000.00, issued through semi-monthly reimbursements of up to $500.00.
• Work Model: Onsite (Markham, Ontario), 5 days a week.

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How to Apply - Send your resume to hr@venturelab.ca quoting “Government & External Relations Intern ” in the subject line. Include your resume and a brief note telling us why you’d be a great addition to the ventureLAB team. Early submissions are encouraged as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

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About ventureLAB

ventureLAB is a not-for-profit leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software companies in Canada. Our organization is led by seasoned entrepreneurs and business leaders with decades of industry experience in building IP-rich start-ups, scale-ups, and global multinationals to help businesses scale. Located at the heart of Ontario’s innovation corridor in York Region, ventureLAB is part of one of the biggest and most diverse tech communities in Canada.

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Since 2011, ventureLAB has enabled over 4,000 tech ventures to create over 6,800 jobs and raise more than $420 million in investment capital through our initiatives focused on raising capital, talent retention, technology and IP commercialization, and customer acquisition. Together with our community of entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and partners, we enable technology startups to accelerate the commercialization of transformational products on a global scale. ventureLAB is home to the Hardware Catalyst Initiative — Canada’s only lab and incubator for hardware and semiconductor-focused companies.

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Our Mission

Powering hardtech founders to build and scale globally competitive ventures that advance Canada's knowledge-based economy.

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Our Vision

Born Global. Built to Scale. Inclusive by Design. Inspire a new generation of global founders who choose Canada to scale IP-rich tech titans creating innovative hardware and scale-ready enterprise software solutions that transform

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Our Values —Team RIVIR

• Relentless: We are tenacious and resilient. We follow through and remove roadblocks so together we succeed and go further.
• Inclusive: We are empathetic, open-minded and collaborate respectfully so that we build trust with each other and value diverse opinions, ideas and perspectives to learn and make better decisions.
• Visionary: We inspire bold futures with our founders, team, partners and community by challenging each other respectfully and thinking differently.
• Innovative: We celebrate ingenuity and empower the team to create new ideas, processes and strategies. We are curious and resourceful by asking questions for clarity.
• Results: We are proactive and plan. We are accountable and focused. We are direct and transparent through fact-based discussions.

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ventureLAB is made up of passionate, driven individuals, and is growing quickly. It is a fast-paced, flexible environment where individual contributors make a big difference and work collaboratively to achieve shared goals. We are proud to be one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures and a Great Place to Work®.

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