Business Development & Strategy Intern (MBA) - Nearby.ai

Location: Remote

Department: Internship Program

About Nearby.ai

Nearby.ai is a home services platform that connects homeowners with trusted local service providers — plumbers, electricians, cleaners, landscapers, HVAC technicians, and more. Were building the merchant network that makes that matching possible, and looking for a motivated intern to help drive that growth through local business outreach and partnership development.

About the Role

Were 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: youll be measured on real business outcomes — partners signed, pipeline built, and insight generated — not just activity.

What Youll 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 whats working and quantify results (contacts made, response rates, conversion rates)
• Turn merchant feedback into structured insight that could inform Nearby.ais 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

Who You Are

• 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 elses
• 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

Details

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

Why Join Nearby.ai

• 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