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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. We're 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
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
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 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
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
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