Business Development & Strategy Intern

Airlift Systems; Rotterdam; On-site; EUR 13,000 - 20,000; Full time

Job summary

Airlift Systems is seeking a Business Development & Strategy Intern to help shape our market entry for robotic surface-treatment solutions. You’ll work with the founders, conduct market research, and validate assumptions through customer interviews and competitive benchmarking.

You’ll build financial models, assess pilot opportunities, and contribute to the business plan, sales materials and investor pitches.

Qualifications

• Strong research skills with ability to analyze quantitative and commercial data.
• Proficient in Dutch and English.
• Curious and analytical with ability to translate complex information into clear recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Identify the strongest opportunities and rank applications and customer segments.
• Analyse markets in the Netherlands and EU, benchmarking demand, pricing, competition and growth potential.
• Map the competitive landscape by comparing existing solutions on cost, productivity, safety and limitations.
• Talk to customers through outreach and structured interviews with building owners and service providers.
• Understand regulations, safety requirements, insurance and liability for deployment.
• Build a financial model covering costs, pricing, margins, payback and customer savings.
• Shape the strategy by evaluating business models and contributing to the business plan, sales materials and investor deck.

Skills

Excel

Google Sheets

Tools

Excel

Google Sheets

Job description

At Airlift Systems, we’re developing a new generation of robots that perform surface treatments, such as cleaning, on surfaces that are hard to reach, costly to access or risky for people. Our technology combines innovative hardware with advanced autonomy software. We’re currently in stealth mode as we prepare for our first pilot deployments.

This is the stage where key commercial decisions get made. We’re looking for a Business Development & Strategy Intern to help make them with solid evidence.

What you’ll work on

• Identify the strongest opportunities. Learn what our technology can do, and help identify and rank the applications and customer segments where it creates the most value.
• Analyse markets. Research the Netherlands and wider EU, benchmarking demand, pricing, competition and growth potential.
• Map the competitive landscape. Compare existing manual and automated solutions on cost, productivity, safety and limitations.
• Talk to real customers. Run outreach and structured interviews with building owners, facility managers and service providers to validate our assumptions.
• Understand the rules. Investigate regulations, safety requirements, insurance and liability, and how they affect deployment.
• Build the numbers. Develop a financial model covering costs, pricing, margins, payback and customer savings compared with current methods.
• Shape the strategy. Evaluate business models, help select pilot customers and KPIs, and contribute to our business plan, sales materials and investor pitch deck.

Who you are

You’re curious and analytical, and you’re comfortable turning complex information into clear recommendations. You have strong research skills, you’re confident working with quantitative and commercial data, and you have solid Excel or Google Sheets skills. You communicate professionally and enjoy speaking with customers and industry experts. You have professional proficiency in Dutch and English. An interest in B2B technology, robotics, facilities management, construction or industrial services is a big plus.

Your work will directly inform market selection, pilot planning and investor conversations. You’ll work closely with the founders and gain hands-on experience across strategy, finance, regulation and customer development.