For the dreamers, believers,
and doers.
At F7, we equip interns to tackle real problems using the same lateral-thinking and design-thinking practices that power breakthrough products at the world's most innovative companies. Less rote memorization. More invention, iteration, and inspiration.
The same playbook used by
Design thinking powers the world's most loved solutions.
From spacecraft to sneakers to game consoles — these teams ship by listening, prototyping, and testing with real people. F7 interns learn the same way.
The world is short on future-ready talent.
Industry is moving faster than the pipeline preparing for it. Employers don't just want degrees — they want problem solvers with real experience: people who can frame an ambiguous problem, work across a team, ship something that works, and tell the story of the impact it had.
A widening skills gap
AI and automation are reshaping every industry, but most students graduate without the practical, transferable skills the new economy actually rewards.
Employers want experience
Hiring managers consistently rank prior, applied experience above credentials. Entry-level roles increasingly expect candidates who've already shipped real work.
They want problem solvers
The skills employers say they need most — critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity — are exactly the muscles built by solving real problems with real people.
Why this matters
The world is changing how it hires.
We look for people who can solve problems, not people who can pass tests.
Your portfolio is your resume.
Our goal is to prepare the next generation of leaders to engage responsibly with the opportunities and challenges presented by AI.
We don't care where you went to school… we care about your ability to think.
The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.
We look for people who can solve problems, not people who can pass tests.
Your portfolio is your resume.
Our goal is to prepare the next generation of leaders to engage responsibly with the opportunities and challenges presented by AI.
We don't care where you went to school… we care about your ability to think.
The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.
How it works · Six sprints
The path from curious to credible.
Six sprints. Six skills. One project that's actually yours. Each phase is short, shippable, and stacked so you can see your progress — and so a hiring manager, admissions officer, or community partner can too.
Empathize
Talk to the people you're solving for. Listen, watch, and learn what they really need.
Define
Turn what you heard into one clear problem worth solving.
Ideate
Come up with lots of ideas, then pick the strongest one.
Prototype
Build a quick working version on Lovable so real users can try it.
Test
Watch real users try it. Find what breaks. Fix it.
Pitch
Tell the story. 60 seconds. 5 minutes. With a clear ask.
Built for the people history forgot to credit.
The biggest leaps in this country have always been carried by people who weren't supposed to be in the room. We're building F7 the same way — rigor in the work, clarity in the story, and intentional room for the talent that's been overlooked. If your block, your school, or your last name isn't usually on these lists, this is for you. Especially you.
Katherine Johnson · 1918–2020
A Black mathematician at NASA whose hand-calculated trajectories made John Glenn's orbit possible. Before electronic computers were trusted, Glenn asked for Katherine by name: "Get the girl to check the numbers." Her work charted the path for Mercury, Apollo 11, and the Shuttle program — yet for decades, history kept her in the margins. She is the reason F7 exists: proof that genius is everywhere, but opportunity isn't.
- Crew
- John Glenn
- Orbits
- 3
- Duration
- 4h 55m
- Apogee
- 162.2 mi
What you walk away with
Receipts, not just resume lines.
Every intern leaves with a real project and the evidence to back it up — the kind of work that opens doors at competitive colleges, sharp companies, and inside your own community. Proof you can ship. Proof you can lead.
- Primary projectA tech prototype or creative product grounded in research and stories.
- Problem statementClear articulation of the issue and the audience it affects.
- Solution statementWhat you built, why it matters, how it works.
- Process documentationEmpathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test → Pitch.
- Evidence of validationUser feedback, testing insights, what changed.
- Final pitch60-second + 5-minute version, ready to present.
Who's behind it
A studio called Civic City.
We design tech, systems, and stories that move public problems forward. F7 is how we open that work up — to the next generation, and to the partners betting on them.
What we do
Cities, schools, and mission-driven companies hire us to build the tech, systems, and stories that turn public problems into measurable progress.
Why we built F7
The talent to solve our hardest problems is already in our communities. F7 gives them the reps, the room, and the receipts to be taken seriously.
For partners & managers
Plug into a pipeline of vetted, project-ready interns and a structured program that takes the guesswork out of mentorship — so you get real work shipped, and they get real experience that compounds.
Spend your summer building something that matters.
Six weeks. A team you'll trust. A real problem worth solving. Hybrid and flexible, built to fit your life — and end with a portfolio piece you'll actually be proud of.