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

Positive 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

Significant 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 [email protected]

📌 Business Development Intern (Chennai)
🏢 TheDeepTechVerse
📍 Chennai