From faculty research to an entrepreneurial internship program, a look into the benefits of being one of a new company’s earliest employees
Here’s what entrepreneurship means to Tasha Shaw, a Chicago-based founder and recent host to an intern from DePaul’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center: the ability not just to cook for people but to cultivate community. The recognition that food isn’t only about physical nourishment— it’s also about healing and cultural connection.
Shaw’s South Side business, Wake, Bake and Heal, provides prepared meals for the elderly, working professionals, and others who are too busy to cook for themselves. Her offerings range from classics like mac and cheese and collard greens to corn that’s brined for days in molasses and whisky before it’s charred on the grill.
A professionally trained chef, Shaw started her business after taking care of her aunt, who suffered from dementia and heart failure. She saw what a difference fresh-cooked food made for her aunt — and she noticed that this food wasn’t readily available to others in similar situations.
Fast-forward to today and Wake, Bake and Heal is at a critical point in the entrepreneurial lifecycle. It’s a growing business; Shaw hopes to open a brick-and-mortar location that includes a cafe. Getting there, though, will require juggling long-term visions with the day-to-day hustle of keeping a business running.
Early employees play a critical role in shaping startups’ futures, DePaul professor’s research reveals
At nascent firms like Wake, Bake and Heal, growth requires a delicate balance. Move too slowly and opportunities slip away. Push too fast, and the founder’s original mission can get lost in expansion.
Early-stage employees play a critical role in helping businesses strike that balance, argues James Bort, an assistant professor of entrepreneurship at DePaul. Bort’s latest research, published in the prestigious Academy of Management Review, focuses on startups’ earliest employees.
At established companies, most employees execute pre-defined strategies or carefully honed visions. At emerging ventures, Bort said, employees take on a more fluid and influential role. They help businesses expand their reach. That work, in turn, realizes — and refines — founders’ visions. In short, early-stage employees get the rare opportunity to shape the story of the businesses they work for.
Most entrepreneurship offerings for college students target aspiring founders. But working at a fledgling business as one of its first employees, Bort’s research suggests, can offer uniquely valuable, formative experiences.
From research to practice: DePaul students gain experience as interns at early-stage companies
That’s where the internship program at DePaul’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center comes in.
Each summer, Director of Emerging Company Programs Emily Doyle sifts through dozens (and occasionally, hundreds) of applications to hand-select students whose interests align with the center’s pool of internship hosts.
The program reflects DePaul’s extensive connections to Chicago’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Many entrepreneurs join after participating in other programs run by the Coleman center or the college.
Shaw got involved thanks to one such connection. In 2025, Bort and his MBA students participated in DePaul’s ongoing partnership with the Chicago Transit Authority. As part of that project, they heard directly from community stakeholders in Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood. One of those stakeholders, Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Andrea Reed, put Shaw in touch with Bort.
Bort saw a chance to integrate his research on start-up employees with the Coleman center’s programming.
“With programs like the Coleman internship program, we have a unique and amazing opportunity to blend research and practice,” said Bort. “That really excited me as someone with an entrepreneurial background, both as an early-stage employee and a founder myself.”
“Figuring it out together”: Kaarunya Venisetty’s internship experience
With Bort’s encouragement, Shaw joined the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center internship program. This summer, she was paired with Kaarunya Venisetty, a finance and accounting major.
Venisetty is passionate about entrepreneurship. She’s competed in multiple pitch competitions hosted by the Coleman center. Her freshman year, she won an audience choice award for a program that would mitigate food waste on campuses.
Working with Venisetty gave Shaw the chance to streamline her day-to-day operations. Venisetty handled customer communications and tracked invoicing. With Venisetty’s help, monthly invoices increased by 20%.
“Her ability to keep me on track with expenses and customers’ follow-up gave me a clear picture of where my business was thriving, and where improvements were needed,” Shaw said. “That sort of support was invaluable because it allowed me to focus on growing my business instead of getting lost in the administrative details.”
Venisetty created renderings that helped Shaw bring her vision for a cafe location to life
Venisetty was also tasked with helping Shaw flesh out her vision for Wake, Bake, and Heal’s new home. She spent the summer teaching herself 2D and 3D modeling software. Early on, she used AI to translate Shaw’s vision into an image she could bring to Shaw to ensure she was on the right track.
“I was so nervous at first,” said Venisetty. “And Tasha was also new. We had to figure it out together. I was helping her; she was helping me.”
For interns, a front-row seat to entrepreneurial grit
Venisetty’s experience reflects much of what Bort’s research reveals about startup employment. Working at a startup gives students firsthand exposure to the difficult, creative work of bringing a founder’s vision to life. In this fast-evolving environment, even entry-level team members can influence how a business changes as it grows.
When Venisetty thinks about her internship experience, she thinks about the communications skills she gained. She thinks about the chance she got to try an entirely new skill: figuring out something together with a business owner.
What stands out most to her, though, is the firsthand look she got at what it takes to be an entrepreneur.
“I loved the fact that [Shaw] was a woman who solely owns the business,” said Venisetty. “Food is not easy. It’s not easy to make; it’s not easy to impress people. But whenever I saw [Shaw] working, I felt like she was someone who was born to be in the business.”
Further reading
Bort, J. (2025) “A Theory of the Start-up Workforce.” Academy of Management Review.
https://blogs.depaul.edu/business-exchange/2025/05/27/cta-collaboration-entrepreneurship-roseland/