Business Development Intern

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT INTERN
Company: Hilavsen
Brands / Ecosystem: TheDeepTechVerse
Location: Chennai / Hybrid
Type: Internship
Duration: 3–6 Months
Work Mode: Hybrid / Remote depending on role requirements
Stipend: Yes
About Hilavsen
Hilavsen is an innovation-led, industry-agnostic growth and innovation company working across DeepTech, Emerging Technologies, Cybersecurity, Technology Infrastructure, Business Strategy and Innovation Ecosystems.
Our ecosystem includes:
TheDeepTechVerse — DeepTech ecosystem, community and innovation forum connecting founders, researchers, students, investors, institutions and industry.
Role Overview
We are looking for a Business Development Intern who is proactive, curious and comfortable with outreach, research and relationship building.
The intern will work closely with the business and leadership team to identify potential customers, partners, institutions and ecosystem stakeholders, initiate conversations, support sales and partnership activities, and help expand our network.
This role is ideal for someone who wants practical exposure to B2B business development, startup sales, partnerships, ecosystem building and emerging technology markets.
Key Responsibilities
1. Lead Generation & Prospecting
Identify and research potential customers, partners and ecosystem stakeholders.
Build and maintain prospect databases.
Research companies, startups, MSMEs, manufacturers, universities, research institutions, incubators, accelerators and technology organizations.
Identify relevant decision-makers and business contacts.
Qualify leads based on business requirements, relevance and potential.
2. Outreach
Conduct professional outreach through:
LinkedIn
Email
Phone calls
WhatsApp / other approved channels
Industry networks
Draft personalized introductory messages and follow-ups.
Follow up consistently with prospects.
Schedule discovery calls and meetings for the business team.
Maintain proper records of all outreach activities.
3. Business Development
Support business development across areas such as:
Cybersecurity & Cyber GRC services
Technology consulting
Business & growth strategy
DeepTech ecosystem partnerships
Laboratory and research infrastructure
Technology sourcing and procurement
Startup support services
Corporate / industry partnerships
Institutional partnerships
Events, summits and programs
4. Partnership Development
Identify potential strategic partners.
Research partnership opportunities with companies, universities, incubators, accelerators, industry associations and ecosystem organizations.
Support preparation of partnership proposals and presentations.
Coordinate introductory meetings.
Maintain partner pipelines and follow-ups.
Assist in converting initial conversations into active partnerships.
5. Market Research
Conduct research on industries, companies, competitors and emerging opportunities.
Identify new market segments and potential customer profiles.
Track industry developments and business opportunities.
Prepare concise market and prospect research reports.
Identify potential use cases for Hilavsen's services and platforms.
6. CRM & Pipeline Management
Maintain an organized lead and partnership database.
Update lead status, communication history and next steps.
Track:
New leads
Contacted leads
Responses
Meetings
Qualified opportunities
Proposals
Negotiations
Conversions
Provide periodic pipeline updates to the business team.
7. Events & Ecosystem Development
Support business development activities related to:
DeepTech events
Industry conferences
Startup events
College / university outreach
Investor and founder networks
Corporate engagement
Workshops and programs
Identify relevant organizations and individuals who can become participants, speakers, partners, sponsors, customers or ecosystem members.
Ideal Candidate
We are looking for someone who is:
Highly proactive and self-driven.
Comfortable initiating conversations with new people.
Interested in startups, technology and business.
Strong in communication and interpersonal skills.
Good at online research.
Comfortable using LinkedIn and professional networking platforms.
Organized and capable of managing multiple prospects.
Willing to learn B2B sales and business development.
Comfortable working in a fast-moving startup environment.
Result-oriented rather than task-oriented.
Skills
Required:
Communication
Lead generation
Internet research
LinkedIn research
Email communication
Presentation skills
Follow-up discipline
Basic Excel / Google Sheets
Good to have:
B2B sales experience
CRM knowledge
LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Cold emailing
Market research
Startup ecosystem knowledge
Technology / DeepTech awareness
Canva / presentation skills
Basic understanding of SaaS or technology products
Performance Expectations
The intern will be evaluated based on measurable outcomes including:
Quality of leads generated
Number of qualified prospects identified
Outreach consistency
Response and meeting conversion
Partnership opportunities created
Follow-up discipline
CRM / pipeline accuracy
Contribution to business development initiatives
The objective is not simply to generate a high number of contacts, but to identify relevant prospects and create genuine business opportunities.
What You Will Learn
During the internship, you will gain practical exposure to:
B2B business development
Startup sales
Lead generation
Strategic partnerships
Customer discovery
Market research
Emerging technology markets
Founder-led sales
Enterprise outreach
Ecosystem development
CRM and sales pipeline management
Proposal development
Business strategy
Growth Opportunity
High-performing interns may be considered for:
Extended internship
Performance-based incentives
Full-time Business Development / Growth roles
Business Development Executive opportunities
Partnership / Ecosystem roles
Increased responsibility within Hilavsen's ecosystem
Important
This is a hands-on business development role, not a purely administrative internship.
The selected candidate will be expected to actively research prospects, initiate conversations, follow up, participate in meetings and contribute toward creating measurable business opportunities.
Ideal Candidate Profile
Curious. Proactive. Persuasive. Persistent. Business-minded.
If you enjoy talking to people, discovering opportunities and turning conversations into meaningful business relationships, this role is for you.
Also you can email to info@thedeeptechverse.com

Work arrangement
No