Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. NewsBreak is a content intelligence company operating Nearby.ai, a home services platform connecting homeowners with local service providers. The MBA-level Business Development & Strategy Intern will lead a merchant-acquisition initiative from market research and territory selection through outreach, negotiation, analysis, and recommendations to leadership.
Responsibilities
- Independently map the local service-provider landscape in an assigned category or geography (e.g., HVAC in a specific metro): merchant density, acquisition channels, and competitive platforms (Angi, Thumbtack, Yelp, etc.)
- Build your own scoring framework to size the opportunity and decide which merchant categories or neighborhoods to go after first
- Build your own target list and figure out the smartest way to reach each one — no inherited leads, no playbook handed to you
- 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, expected close
- Treat outreach as a live experiment — test channels, messaging, and timing, and double down on what the data says is working
- 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 shape Nearby.ai's value proposition or onboarding process
- Build a simple business case (expected partners signed, revenue impact) to justify where to focus next
- 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
- 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
Skills
- 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 pick up the phone, knock on a door, and negotiate directly with small-business owners
- High tolerance for ambiguity and rejection — energized by 0-to-1, hands-on work, and comfortable inventing your own approach as you go
- Type: Internship, 20–40 hrs/week
- Duration: 3–6 months
- Location: Remote
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
- Depending on the position, the role may also be eligible for discretionary bonus and options
- Remote work
Company Overview
Company H1B Sponsorship