"Guess I will be working in Nairobi this summer," I said to my friend in disbelief. We had just landed at the airport in Oslo, and I had just taken my phone out of airplane mode and saw that I had received an email from CIFOR-ICRAF offering me a position as a summer intern. I had no specific aspirations to find an internship in Africa over the summer; the motto was "wherever work and impact take me", and I am profoundly grateful that it took me to Kenya.

• Read more about Dryland Restoration: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Finance To Restore the Planet’s Most Overlooked Ecosystem

Jobo: A Start-Up with a mission Jobo is a start-up founded in Côte d’Ivoire to tackle one of the continent’s most pressing challenges: the gap between job seekers and meaningful employment. By leveraging technology, data, and strong partnerships with employers, Jobo provides a platform that connects individuals with opportunities in the formal labour market.Jobo's mission is rooted in the belief that inclusive employment not only transforms individual lives but also fuels sustainable economic growth.

• Read more about Beyond Employment: Bridging Business and Empowerment at Jobo Academy

Iterum Trading Limited is a UK-based circular economy company that specialises in the management of household appliances for institutional residential sectors such as Build-to-Rent (BTR), student housing, single-family rentals, and co-living. Through its SaaS platform, Iterum IQ, the company helps landlords and operators optimise procurement, maintenance, and lifecycle management of appliances, reducing costs and environmental impact.

• Read more about Iterum and ESG: My Summer Internship Experience

Before INSEAD, I co-founded and spent six years building an edtech startup that helped commerce graduates bridge the skill gap and secure jobs. Most of my work focused on employability, training, and building futures, downstream in the education journey. This summer, I found myself exploring the very start of that journey: where access to basic education is still a daily struggle.

• Read more about Teaching on the Footpath, Learning Along the Way

The Scientific Foundation of the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) has set an ambitious goal: to increase the cancer survival rate in Spain to 70% by 2030. Achieving this will require a long-term commitment to accelerating research, improving patient outcomes, and facilitating the transfer of scientific discoveries to clinical application. As part of its Strategic Plan 2025–2028, the Foundation is focusing on how to fund innovation more effectively in later development phases, particularly those that are high-risk and capital-intensive but essential for reaching patients.

• Read more about Strategic Investment Planning for Oncology Innovation: My Internship at the Scientific Foundation of the Spanish Association Against Cancer

This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with a group of talented individuals as they built Wastetide, an AI tool for waste detection and efficient recycling solutions. My role focused on preparing the company for its pre-seed fundraise, starting at the end of the summer, and with my background in transaction advisory and M&A, it was a perfect fit.

• Read more about Didn’t ‘Waste’ My Summer!

The genesis of a unique impact fund

• Read more about Investing in Climate Tech in India: My Summer at ACT Capital

Purple is known to represent ambition and power but also creativity and magic. More than that, it is recognised internationally as the colour of women and gender equality.

• Read more about Painting the Startup Scene Purple: A Summer With Amela