Business Development & Strategy Intern MBA - Nearby.ai

About NewsBreak

Local life runs on local information. What happened down the street? Who can fix this? Where should we go tonight? NewsBreak started in 2015 to answer these questions, and today more than 40 million people a month rely on us to follow what's going on in their zip code.

Three platforms with one vision: powering local life. Led by founder and CEO Jeff Zheng, NewsBreak is our local life and news platform; Nearby AI connects people with local businesses; and NDot AI helps publishers and creators grow and earn.

Building for the long term. A $115 million Series C made us a unicorn in 2021, and we keep investing in our people. We're Great Place to Work certified and named to Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators (2025) and Fortune's Best Workplaces in the Bay Area (2026).

Everyone makes an impact. Whether you write code, shape products, tell our story, or run the business, we want people who own projects end to end, stay curious, and speak up. Join us.

Learn more at: NewsBreak, Nearby AI, NDot AI

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 we''re looking for a high-potential MBA intern ready to operate at the level of a founder - not shadow one.

About the Role

This is a flagship early-talent initiative at Nearby.ai: an MBA-level Business Development & Strategy internship built for someone who wants the real thing - full ownership of a merchant-acquisition initiative end-to-end, from market research and territory strategy through self-sourced execution to a final strategic recommendation delivered directly to leadership.

There is no script, no shadow assignment, and no busywork. You''ll operate with the autonomy of a strategy consultant and the accountability of a founder - defining your own market thesis, building your own pipeline, and being judged on business outcomes: partners signed, pipeline built, and insight generated that shapes how Nearby.ai grows.

What You''ll Own, End to End

Market and Territory Strategy

• 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

Self-Sourced Outreach and Pipeline Development

• Build your own target list and figure out the smartest way to reach each one
• 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

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 shape Nearby.ai''s value proposition or onboarding process
• Build a rigorous business case (expected partners signed, revenue impact) to justify where the company should 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 for leadership - not just raw counts
• Deliver a capstone presentation directly to company leadership: your market analysis, results, and a recommended go-forward strategy for merchant acquisition

You''re a Strong Fit If You Have

• Currently pursuing an MBA (or equivalent graduate business program) from a top-tier program, ideally with prior experience in SaaS, agentic services, marketing, sales, BD or a startup
• Strong business acumen, critical thinking, and structured problem-solving skills
• Comfortable being fully self-directed - you build the plan, not just execute someone else''s
• A passion for data-driven decision-making; genuinely comfortable working in spreadsheets and analysis
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the confidence to pick up the phone, knock on a door, and negotiate directly with 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

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, with direct visibility to leadership - a level of end-to-end ownership rarely given to an intern
• Operate with the rigor and stakes of a strategy engagement, at an early-stage company where your work directly moves the business
• Walk away with a portfolio of quantified business impact (partners signed, pipeline built, a strategy recommendation delivered to leadership) - built for post-MBA BD, strategy, or general management roles
• Potential to convert to a full-time role based on performance

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