This Startupist conversation with Chelsea Prince, founder of InternCircle.com, is fresh off the press and full of helpful information about marketing and creating a business that will serve multiple parties at the same time.  Enjoy yourself as you read, and don’t forget to share it if you love it!

An old adage says, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. Describe a bit about why you started InternCircle.

InternCircle is a site that stems from an internship turned sour that I experienced the summer of my junior year. I accepted an internship from the CEO of a small creative agency who offered me a paid internship in Manhattan where I could dabble in project management, graphic design and advertising for brand-name clients. When I arrived for the first day of my internship I was forgotten, and subsequently worked alone in a dark supply closet, unpaid, arranging office supplies.

Needless to say, this was not the valuable internship I was expecting. I left mid-summer to join Harry Winston’s marketing department as an intern, but they did not plan to hire any marketing interns due their own negative experience with a previous intern. I observed a greater disconnect between interns and employers that could be ameliorated through an untapped resource– the Web. I wanted to prevent the negative experiences from happening to other interns and employers, and InternCircle quickly evolved into a virtual need.

InternCircle launched in Aug. 2009, as the Web’s first social networking site for interns and employers, which also serves as a central clearinghouse for internship recruitment. It helps individuals and employers to maximize opportunities and foster valuable experiences through networking and informative platforms.

How does InternCircle create a win-win situation for all parties involved?

InternCircle is a central portal for internship connectivity, bringing personal engagement to a face-less market. It also fills the need for faster and cheaper recruiting, and better quality talent and experiences.

Two things employers can’t find elsewhere– specific search engines and personal engagement with internship-seekers through direct messaging. Companies can search by students from colleges nationwide looking for internships in your city, search availability calendars of potential interns, filter applicants (by school, location, major, GPA, collegiate year, and undergraduate/graduate,) and provide social opportunities to current interns.

Internship seekers can connect with employers and individuals through personal profiles and messaging, find housing, employment, advice, intern events and mainstream media to keep up to date and engaged in the internship world.

How have you funded InternCircle thus far? How realistic is profitability at this point?

I invested my own dollars into the project from money saved since I started working when I was very young. I had always been saving up for an opportunity that I could invest in to make a tangible difference in the world. And I decided, why not invest in myself? It’s very motivating.

InternCircle’s target market is college students. College students are constantly bombarded from 50 different sides with all kinds of marketing messages. How does InternCircle plan to engage college students and convert them to InternCircle users?

I am lucky to have launched an internship-centered network at the best time possible—during a recession. An internship has become the answer to freezes in starting-level jobs, and individuals are open to trying new outlets to get noticed. While there may not be as many internships, the applicant pool has grown to accommodate graduate students.

InternCircle caters to a competitive environment with profiles that allow individuals to peacock their professional assets and brand-image, contact companies directly, find an influx of information and be found through advanced searches.

You mentioned in a fairly recent interview that InternCircle seeks to be a socially responsible (philanthropic) business. In what ways are you looking to meet this goal?

InternCircle is a complete support system for young adults, and was built from an inclination to help others find a value in the internship system. Since the foundation of the company is about helping others, it’s natural to segue into philanthropy.

Down the road, I aspire to provide internship sponsorships. Accepting an internship with low or no pay, while paying for housing on site can be an expensive summer investment. It’s my goal for InternCircle to be able to financially support individuals who would not otherwise be able to take the step to pursue their dream internships.

How can people get involved with InternCircle?

The first step to getting involved is by registering as a member. Membership for internship seekers is free, and always will be, in order to level the playing field so that every motivated individual has the opportunity to receive deserved recruitment attention.

There is a new section of the site, Rounder, which provides outlets for people to have a well-rounded internship experience. The total experience isn’t merely the office internship. It’s the surrounding culture, living space and involvement in extracurricular activities, from summer classes to company bar-b-ques. Members can find intern “round-ups” in various locations throughout the year to network, listen to significant speakers and ask questions about the internship process.

Companies can get involved with InternCircle sponsorships in the housing section, Rounder section and can partner with InternCircle in the employment section. We try and keep the marketing agenda organic, but there are always ways companies can receive extra visibility on InternCircle.