Business Development Associate/Intern

• Join akirolabs at a defining stage of growth, where your work will directly influence how we expand our market reach and connect with the world’s leading procurement and category management teams
• As a Sales Development Representative (Intern), you’ll be on the frontlines of our go-to-market engine — turning insights, conversations, and data into real opportunities that power akirolabs’ growth
• You’ll take ownership of building our sales pipeline — researching target accounts, crafting personalized outreach, and engaging decision-makers to open doors for our sales team
• Your curiosity, discipline, and drive will help shape how we identify and qualify opportunities, setting the foundation for predictable revenue growth
• In a market rapidly evolving with AI-driven transformation, your ability to combine human connection with intelligent automation will be key
• Every conversation you start, every lead you uncover, and every relationship you build will directly impact akirolabs’ journey to become the global leader in procurement transformation
• You’ll research accounts to identify the right personas at target prospects & own the execution of outbound prospecting
• Analyze competitive activity and market trends while leveraging LinkedIn social listening to uncover opportunities, generate leads, and drive pipeline growth
• Design, operate, and monitor automated multi-channel outbound systems that push leads in our pipeline and create new opportunities
• Initiate highly personalized conversations with the help of AI to build relationships with highly engaged prospects through a mix of phone calls, emails, and LinkedIn messages (150–250 contacts/week)
• Support outreach efforts by drafting cold emails, LinkedIn messages, and other go-to-market materials
• Qualify and follow up on inbound leads and collaborate with marketing in nurturing them through the early stages of the sales cycle
• Clearly articulate the value of our SaaS product and how it addresses customer pain points in discovery calls
• Summarize and manage lead handovers (detailed call reports and qualification summaries) to ensure a smooth transition to later stages of the sales cycle
• Collaborate with GTM to create and execute strategies for driving pipeline & personalized outreach
• Maintain and enrich CRM data while producing weekly sales insights and performance reports
• Collaborate with marketing to develop sales assets, including one-pagers, presentations, and outreach sequences
• Your 6-months Journey:
• Month 1: Master the Fundamentals
• Deep dive to get to know our product, customers, and sales methodology. Shadow sales discovery calls, start practicing prospecting and outreach calls/emails with structured coaching; Understand how multi-channel outbound systems work and how to run outbound sequences using our sales automation and intelligence tech stack
• Months 2-4: Own your pipeline Own a quota. Master outreach strategies, convert buying signals into opportunities and build consistent pipeline with weekly coaching
• Months 5-6: Win your first deals
• Get exposure to full-cycle AE work. Prospect, Lead discoveries, assist and deliver demos, navigate stakeholders, and close deals with dedicated mentorship
• Month 7: Outcome
• Proceed towards the promotion — you can now step into a Jr. Account Executive role and own a quota. Alternatively, depending on internal needs and your interests, you may choose to move into a GTM Engineering and Growth position
• Duration: 6–12 months, with the possibility of extension or transition to a full-time role

Benefits

• A lot of space for your own ideas with a sparring approach
• Work closely with experienced and successful entrepreneurs that support your development through mentoring
• Full flexibility in working hours and location
• Employee growth opportunities
• Collaborative company spirit and open feedback culture

• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Team-First mentality: flexibility to lead, or support, as no job is too small or too big
• Comfort with AI tools and willingness to experiment
• Results-driven approach with competitive spirit
• The ability to thrive in ambiguity and work autonomously as a high level contributor
• Adapt at multitasking and prioritizing effectively.
• Self-motivated, resilient, comfortable handling rejection and maintaining consistent activity
• Familiarity with CRM software tools (such as Salesforce, Hubspot)
• You don’t need to meet every single requirement — if you’re motivated to learn and grow into this role, we want to hear from you!
• Drive to sell with discipline and initiative – you communicate clearly with senior stakeholders, think analytically, stay coachable, and bounce back quickly
• A constant user and explorer of AI tools - you should already be using Claude/ChatGPT/Gemini/Perplexity tools daily
• Possess understanding of B2B SaaS sales and a strong sense for customer needs
• Preferably, you have initial client exposure in your previous internship/roles (e.g. any client facing discipline such as consulting, partnerships at startup)
• Strong communication, presentation and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport and engage prospects in meaningful conversations
• Native or C2-level German and Strong English skills
• Familiarity with sales automation and intelligence tools such as Clay, Apollo, Lemlist, HeyReach, Gong is a big plus
• You are currently pursuing or have already obtained a bachelor’s or master’s degree in business administration, or a comparable subject at a university or business school

• Application screening > Interview > Take Home Case Study > Final interview > Offer > 30-minutes with our CEO