[Hiring] Business Development & Strategy Intern @NewsBreak

Role Description

We're looking for an MBA-level Business Development & Strategy Intern to own a merchant-acquisition initiative end-to-end — from market research and territory selection, through self-sourced outreach and negotiation, to data-driven analysis and a final recommendation to leadership. This is not a support role: you'll be measured on real business outcomes — partners signed, pipeline built, and insight generated — not just activity.

What You'll Own, End to End

• Market and Territory Research:
  • Independently map the local service-provider landscape in an assigned category or geography (for example, HVAC in a specific metro): merchant density, typical acquisition channels, and competitive platforms (Angi, Thumbtack, Yelp, etc.)
  • Size the opportunity and prioritize which merchant categories or neighborhoods to target first, using your own scoring framework.
• Self-Sourced Outreach and Pipeline Development:
  • Build your own target list and reach out directly via phone, email, in-person visits, and social media — no inherited leads.
  • Introduce Nearby.ai and pitch the value proposition to local business owners, handling objections yourself.
  • Build and maintain a pipeline in a CRM or spreadsheet with real discipline: stage, next step, and expected close.
  • Adjust your outreach approach based on the response-rate data you track yourself.
• Analysis and Business Case Development:
  • Analyze outreach and conversion data to identify what's working and quantify results (contacts made, response rates, conversion rates).
  • Turn merchant feedback into structured insight that could inform Nearby.ai's value proposition or onboarding process.
  • Build a simple business case (expected partners signed, revenue impact) to justify where to focus next.
• Solutioning and Partnership Development:
  • Independently draft outreach scripts, pitch decks, and partnership proposals tailored to each merchant type.
  • Lead onboarding conversations through to close.
  • Recommend improvements to the onboarding process based on what you hear from merchants.
• Reporting and Recommendations:
  • Report weekly on outreach metrics and pipeline, framed as insights and next steps, not just raw counts.
  • Deliver a final presentation to the team: your market analysis, results, and a recommended go-forward strategy for merchant acquisition.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing an MBA (or equivalent graduate business program), ideally with prior experience in consulting, sales, BD, or a startup.
• Comfortable being fully self-directed — you build the plan, not just execute someone else's.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills; genuinely comfortable working in spreadsheets and data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the confidence to cold-call and negotiate with small-business owners.
• High tolerance for ambiguity and rejection — energized by 0-to-1, hands-on work.

Requirements

• Type: Internship, 20–40 hrs/week
• Duration: 3–6 months
• Location: Remote
• Compensation: Paid, $40-60 hourly

Benefits

• Own a real merchant-acquisition initiative from research through close — a rare level of end-to-end ownership for an internship.
• Learn the full cycle of partnership development at an early-stage company where your work directly impacts growth.
• Build a portfolio of quantified business impact (partners signed, pipeline built, market analysis delivered) — highly relevant for post-MBA BD, strategy, or general management roles.
• Potential to convert to a full-time role based on performance.