---
title: 'Fall Commercial and Strategy MBA Intern/Co-Op at Vertical Semiconductor'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/fall-commercial-and-strategy-mba-intern-co-op-vertical-semiconductor-somerville-0ggbnfd40b9y'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Fall Commercial and Strategy MBA Intern/Co-Op at Vertical Semiconductor

- **Company:** Vertical Semiconductor
- **Location:** Somerville
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-09-03
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/verticalsemi/7924480d-d83d-4fb6-806f-13f4ff909354

## Job description

Company Description Vertical Semiconductor, a venture-backed MIT spin-out, is leading the development of vertical gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors to build the foundational power layer for the next generation of compute and AI.

## Role Description

Vertical Semiconductor is seeking a full-time Commercial and Strategy (MBA) Intern/Co-Op to support commercial engagement within the data center market. This role sits at the intersection of market development, customer engagement, and strategic company operations. The intern/co-op will work closely with leadership, engineering, and business teams to deepen our understanding of the data center power ecosystem, customer requirements, and market dynamics. In parallel, you will take ownership of parts of company operations, from internal systems and logistics to the day-to-day coordination that keeps a small team moving quickly. This internship is ideal for someone who wants hands-on exposure to how a deep-tech hardware startup engages strategic customers and runs day-to-day. This is an in-person fall internship based at our headquarters at Greentown Labs in Somerville, MA. The internship will run early September through December, with flexibility to accommodate academic calendars.

## Key Responsibilities

Data Center Commercial Engagement

- Support analysis of the data center power ecosystem, including AI training clusters, hyperscale facilities, and emerging high-density compute environments
- Research and map target customers across hyperscalers, colocation providers, and OEMs
- Conduct targeted commercial outreach (cold email and related methods) to establish and develop relationships with data center operators, hyperscalers, and strategic partners
- Assist in developing customer-facing materials tailored to data center applications
- Analyze customer requirements and translate them into system-level performance metrics and value propositions
- Support preparation for customer meetings, including briefing documents and follow-up summaries
- Track market signals, partnership discussions, and competitive developments within the data center ecosystem

Cross-Functional Strategy

- Work with our engineering team to understand device capabilities and roadmap milestones
- Synthesize technical and commercial inputs into structured insights for leadership
- Contribute to go-to-market and partnership strategy discussions

## Qualifications

- Master’s student pursuing, or recently graduated from, a degree in business administration, economics, or a related field
- Strong interest in data center infrastructure, AI hardware, power electronics, or deep-tech commercialization

Required Skills & Experience

- 3-6 years of pre-MBA experience. Consulting or investment banking experience preferred
- Financial modeling experience and exposure to startups, venture capital, or banking are highly valued
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, comfortable working with quantitative data
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to create clear, structured presentations and written materials
- Comfortable with collaborating across technical and non-technical teams
- Familiarity with semiconductors, power electronics, or data centers is a plus but not required
- Self-motivated, organized, and comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment

Values & Culture Fit Vertical Semiconductor is seeking an intern/co-op who is not only capable of accelerating the technical vision of the company but is also willing to get involved in the day-to-day execution of a startup. The ideal candidate is someone who enjoys tackling complex engineering challenges, is comfortable with a hands-on approach in a collaborative arena and thrives in a startup environment where they can make an immediate impact. We value integrity, initiative, problem-solving, creativity and a passion for creating transformative technology that can change industries and improve the world.

## Compensation

This is a paid fall internship. Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience.

## About Vertical Semiconductor

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Vertical Semiconductor is an MIT spin-out developing next-generation vertical gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors to serve as the foundational power layer for data centers, AI compute, and grid infrastructure.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Venture-backed; Seed stage)
- **Headquarters**: Somerville, Massachusetts, United States (also listed as Cambridge, MA)
- **Founded**: 2024
- **Founders**: Cynthia Liao (CEO & Co-founder), Dr. Joshua Perozek (CTO & Co-founder), Prof. Tomas Palacios (Advisor & Co-founder)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Semiconductor Manufacturing / Power Electronics
- **Target Customers**: B2B; Data center operators, grid infrastructure providers, and power system OEMs.
- **Mission/Purpose**: To build the foundational power layer for the next era of compute and AI by bringing the superiority of vertical GaN to a scalable manufacturing platform, enabling higher density and efficiency from 40 V to over 2 kV.

## Products & Services
- **Vertical GaN Power Transistors**: A family of high-voltage, high-density vertical gallium nitride (GaN) power devices designed for applications ranging from 40 V to 2.3 kV. These devices offer higher efficiency, higher switching frequency, increased power density, and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to lateral GaN HEMTs and legacy silicon. The technology targets grid infrastructure and data center power systems, enabling a shift to more compact and reliable solid-state power converters.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company).
- **Key Metric (Funding)**: Total funding of **$18.45 million** across two rounds (Seed as of Oct 2025: $11.0M; Venture round as of Mar 2025: $7.4M) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticalsemiconductor).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly named in available sources, but is a venture-backed MIT spin-out leveraging technology developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
- **Growth Signals**: The company is actively scaling, with 8 total employees and 3 active job postings (Principal Applications Engineer, Principal Semiconductor Device Engineer, Semiconductor Process Engineer) as of mid-2025. LinkedIn shows a substantial yearly follower growth of +494.6% [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/vertical-semiconductor). The company is commercializing a differentiated technology with applications in high-growth markets (AI data centers, renewable energy grid infrastructure).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Vertical GaN Architecture**: Unlike conventional lateral GaN HEMTs that struggle to scale past 700V, Vertical Semiconductor’s vertical design inherently supports higher voltages (up to 2.3 kV) and higher current, unlocking new applications in grid and high-power compute.
- **MIT-Born IP**: Founders and technology originate from MIT, with the CTO (Dr. Joshua Perozek) earning his Ph.D. there developing novel vertical GaN transistor technologies, and Prof. Tomas Palacios serving as an advisor [verticalsemi.com](https://verticalsemi.com/).
- **Scalable Manufacturing**: The company emphasizes a "breakthrough manufacturing approach" that brings vertical GaN to a scalable platform, ready to meet the demands of modern power systems.
- **System-Level Benefits**: Their devices promise a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) through reduced system complexity, smaller footprints, and cooler operation, directly addressing key pain points in data center and grid infrastructure.

## Strategic Focus
- **Commercialization**: The company is in a critical phase of transitioning from R&D to commercial product, hiring senior applications and device engineers to drive customer technical engagement and product definition.
- **Target Markets**: Focused on two primary verticals: **Data Centers** (power converters for AI and compute) and **Grid Infrastructure** (solid-state power systems for HVDC and renewable energy).
- **Product Scaling**: Developing a family of devices from 40 V to 2.3 kV to cover a broad range of power applications.

## Why Work Here
- **High-Impact Startup**: Join an early-stage, venture-backed MIT spin-out working on foundational technology for the next era of compute and energy. Employees have significant ownership and direct impact on the product and company trajectory.
- **Hands-On Technical Work**: Roles emphasize deep, practical skills—from cleanroom fabrication to bench characterization of fast-switching wide bandgap devices. The company values building deep technical expertise.
- **Culture**: Described as valuing innovation, collaboration, and impact. The team is small (6-8 people), offering a tight-knit, fast-paced environment.
- **Work Policy**: Hybrid workspace based in Somerville, MA. Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work, with some roles requiring on-site presence (especially fabrication roles) [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/vertical-semiconductor).
- **Growth Potential**: As the company scales, senior hires have the potential to evolve into team leadership roles. The company offers a chance to build a career in a cutting-edge semiconductor technology.

## Sources
1. [verticalsemi.com](https://verticalsemi.com/)
2. [verticalsemi.com/careers](https://verticalsemi.com/careers)
3. [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/vertical-semiconductor)
4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticalsemiconductor)
5. [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/verticalsemi)

## Other roles at Vertical Semiconductor

- [Device Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/device-engineer-vertical-semiconductor-somerville-wv821yqf9yb3) — Somerville
- [Senior Characterization & Reliability Engineer for Power Semiconductors](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-characterization-reliability-engineer-for-power-semiconductors-vertical-w1m7t6pc0wty) — Somerville
- [Principal Applications Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-applications-engineer-vertical-semiconductor-somerville-6wdc8d4d3n68) — Somerville
- [Principal Semiconductor Device Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-semiconductor-device-engineer-vertical-semiconductor-somerville-6jkmbmhhxa8a) — Somerville