Strategic Opportunities Intern

Strategic Opportunities Intern

We are looking for a highly organized, research-driven Strategic Opportunities Intern to help identify and pursue funding, government, partnership, accelerator, and other strategic opportunities.

This is a hands-on role for someone interested in startups, technology, government programs, grants, business development, and strategic research. You will work closely with the team to find relevant opportunities, evaluate their potential, and support applications from research through submission.

Responsibilities

Opportunity Research

• Research federal, state, local, university, foundation, and private funding opportunities.
• Identify relevant grants, government programs, RFPs, RFIs, innovation challenges, accelerators, competitions, and strategic initiatives.
• Monitor platforms such as Grants.gov, SAM.gov, SBIR/STTR, and other relevant funding and procurement portals.
• Research potential partnership and collaboration opportunities with companies, universities, government agencies, and organizations.
• Evaluate opportunities based on eligibility, strategic fit, funding potential, requirements, and deadlines.

Applications & Proposals

• Support the preparation and submission of grant applications, accelerator applications, RFP responses, and other proposals.
• Draft and edit application responses using existing company materials and information from the team.
• Help prepare executive summaries, company descriptions, project narratives, statements of work, impact statements, and supporting materials.
• Gather required technical, financial, corporate, and supporting documentation.
• Coordinate information from different team members to complete applications.
• Review submissions for accuracy, completeness, formatting, and compliance with requirements.

Tracking & Organization

• Maintain a centralized tracker of opportunities, deadlines, requirements, application status, and next steps.
• Maintain an organized library of reusable application materials and company information.
• Track submitted, pending, awarded, rejected, and upcoming opportunities.
• Help manage submission calendars and internal deadlines.
• Maintain documentation and correspondence related to applications and opportunities.

Strategic Research

• Research government priorities, industry initiatives, emerging programs, and funding trends relevant to the company.
• Conduct market and competitive research when required for applications.
• Research potential strategic partners and organizations.
• Summarize complex opportunities into concise recommendations for the team.
• Help identify new channels for funding, commercialization, partnerships, and business development.

Qualifications

• Current student, recent graduate, or early-career professional in Business, Economics, Public Policy, Political Science, International Relations, Communications, Law, Research, or a related field.
• Excellent research and written communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow complex requirements.
• Strong organizational and deadline-management skills.
• Comfortable working with documents, spreadsheets, databases, and online application portals.
• Ability to research unfamiliar topics independently and quickly understand new programs.
• Strong professional English writing skills.
• Interest in technology, startups, innovation, government programs, or business development.

Previous experience with grant writing, proposal development, government programs, RFPs, research, accelerators, or startup applications is a plus, but not required.

What You’ll Gain

You will gain practical experience in:

• Grant and non-dilutive funding applications
• Government funding and procurement opportunities
• RFP and proposal development
• Accelerator and innovation program applications
• Strategic partnerships
• Business and market research
• Opportunity evaluation
• Professional proposal writing
• Working directly with an entrepreneurial technology team

We are looking for someone who is resourceful, analytical, persistent, and extremely organized. The ideal candidate is comfortable taking ownership of research, digging through complex requirements, and turning opportunities into clear, actionable next steps.