Partnerships & Business Development Intern

About the Role

We're looking for a Partnerships & Business Development Intern who wants to be in the room where deals happen — not just watching, but learning to drive them.

You'll work directly alongside the C-Suite in live meetings, pitches, and partnership conversations. This means handling real prospects, real objections, and real stakes — not simulated case studies.

You'll build pipeline, support outreach, and gradually take ownership of pitching partnerships independently. Your work won't stay theoretical. It will go into real conversations, real proposals, and real relationships that impact the business.

If you're someone who enjoys the energy of a pitch, thinks in terms of relationships and value exchange, and wants to learn business development the way it actually works — this role will push you in the right ways.

What You Will Do

• Attend meetings with the C-Suite and actively participate in partnership and BD conversations

• Learn and develop pitching skills through real deal exposure

• Support outreach and follow-ups with potential partners and clients

• Identify and qualify new partnership opportunities

• Gradually take ownership of pitching select partnerships independently

• Build and maintain a pipeline of potential partners using CRM tools

• Conduct market research to identify trends, competitors, and whitespace opportunities

• Draft partnership proposals, one-pagers, and presentation materials

• Support contract coordination and onboarding of new partners

• Represent the company at industry events, networking sessions, and conferences

What We're Looking For

• Confident communicator who is comfortable in a room with senior stakeholders

• Genuine passion for business, deals, and building relationships

• Quick adaptation learner — able to pick up new tools, contexts, and priorities fast

• Must be able to leverage the latest AI tools to get things done smarter and faster

• Startup experience or strong entrepreneurial mindset

• Coachable — willing to be trained and take feedback in real time

• Bonus: experience in sales, BD, or a client-facing role

Founding Mindset

• You think in terms of relationships built, not just meetings attended

• You ask "what does this partner actually need?" before every pitch

• You take ownership of follow-through — deals die in silence

• You balance boldness with listening

• You proactively surface new opportunities instead of waiting for leads to come to you

Bonus

• Experience in sales, BD, or account management

• Existing network in relevant industries

• Exposure to CRM tools (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.)

What Success Looks Like Within 4–6 weeks, you should be able to:

• Own outreach and follow-up for a set of partnership targets

• Contribute meaningfully in at least one live pitch with the C-Suite

• Build and maintain an active pipeline with clear status tracking

• Draft a partnership proposal or one-pager independently

What You'll Get

• Direct exposure to real deals, pitches, and C-Suite strategy

• Hands-on training in business development and partnerships

• A track record of real conversations and closed partnerships — not just busywork

• A strong foundation for roles in BD, partnerships, or commercial strategy

• Work directly with the founder and get a front-row seat to how a startup is built

• An opportunity to speed up your entrepreneurial journey

Who This Is Not For

• If you're uncomfortable with rejection or ambiguity

• If you prefer back-office work over client-facing interactions

• If you wait for leads to come to you

• If you're looking for a low-intensity internship

Who Will Thrive Here

• Natural relationship builders who follow through

• People who are energized by pitching and persuasion

• High-agency individuals who treat every conversation as an opportunity

• Anyone who wants to learn BD the way it's actually done — in the field