Business Development Intern

Location: Hybrid / On-site

Commitment: Min. 3 days / week

Duration: Min. 3–6 months

This internship is open to students completing a mandatory university internship.

About Yugen

Yugen is a biomaterials startup developing circular, bio-based products from agricultural waste streams. Our work spans R&D, product development, and early market validation, with a strong focus on turning deep-tech innovation into commercially viable solutions.

As an early-stage company, we move fast, test assumptions quickly, and build directly with the market in mind.

Role Overview

We are looking for a Business Development Intern who will work closely with the founder across market research, early customer outreach, marketing activities, and operational execution.

This role is ideal for someone who wants real startup exposure not just presentations, but actual execution across business, product, and operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct market research on target industries, customers, competitors, and emerging trends
• Support business development activities, including lead research, outreach preparation, and follow-ups
• Assist in marketing campaigns (content planning, messaging, newsletters, LinkedIn, launch communications)
• Work with the R&D team on prototype positioning, use cases, and customer-facing narratives
• Support prototype development processes from a business perspective (feedback collection, application scenarios, pricing logic)
• Help prepare pitch decks, presentations, and one-pagers
• Assist with operational tasks related to partnerships, pilots, events, and day-to-day startup execution
• Track learnings and insights to support go-to-market and strategy decisions

Required Background

• Undergraduate or graduate student in:
• Business Administration / Economics / Industrial Engineering / Marketing / Entrepreneurship, or related fields
• Strong interest in startups, sustainability, and innovation-driven businesses
• Ability to research, synthesize, and clearly communicate insights
• Comfortable working directly with a founder and taking ownership of tasks
• Good writing skills (English required)

Nice to Have

• Experience or strong interest in B2B marketing or business development
• Familiarity with materials, sustainability, food-tech, or climate-tech ecosystems
• Basic understanding of product development cycles

What You’ll Gain

• Direct exposure to how a startup is built from the inside
• Hands-on experience across business development, marketing, and operations
• Real responsibility and ownership not observer mode
• Insight into early customer validation and go-to-market strategy
• Potential consideration for future part-time or full-time roles, depending on performance and company needs

For applications, please send your CV and a brief cover letter to hello@yugencompany.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!