Market Research & Business Development Internship

Airlift Systems; Rotterdam; On-site; EUR 8,900 - 13,000; Full time

Job summary

Airlift Systems is seeking a Market Research & Business Development Intern to help shape go-to-market decisions for our next-gen aerial robot platform. You’ll identify opportunities, analyze EU markets, and map the competitive landscape while engaging with building owners and service providers to validate assumptions.

You will work closely with the founder, gaining hands-on experience across strategy, finance, regulation, and customer development as we move toward our first pilot deployments.

Qualifications

• Identify opportunities and rank applications and customer segments.
• Analyse markets in the Netherlands/EU for demand, pricing, competition, and growth potential.
• Map the competitive landscape across manual, robotic, and drone solutions.

Responsibilities

• Identify the strongest opportunities for our platform.
• Analyse international markets and benchmark demand and pricing.
• Map the competitive landscape across alternatives and capture key differences.
• Talk to real customers through outreach and structured interviews.
• Understand drone regulations, safety requirements, and insurance implications.
• Build a financial model covering costs, pricing, margins, payback, and customer savings.
• Shape the strategy and contribute to pilot planning, business plan, and investor materials.

Skills

Market research

Business development

Excel/Sheets

Interviews

Dutch & English

Job description

We’re developing a new generation of aerial 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, and we’re currently in stealth mode as we finalise our core platform and prepare for our first pilot deployments.This is the stage where key commercial decisions get made, and we’re looking for a Market Research & Business Development Intern to help make them with solid evidence.

What you’ll work on

• Identify the strongest opportunities. Learn our platform’s capabilities and help identify and rank the applications and customer segments where it creates the most value.
• Analyse international markets. Research markets in the Netherlands/EU, benchmarking demand, pricing, competition, and growth potential.
• Map the competitive landscape. Compare existing manual, robotic, and drone-based solutions on cost, productivity, safety, and operational 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 drone regulations, safety requirements, and insurance and liability considerations, 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, analytical, and comfortable turning complex information into clear recommendations. You bring strong research and analytical skills, confidence with quantitative and commercial data, and solid Excel or Google Sheets abilities. 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, drones, 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 founder and gain hands‑on experience across strategy, finance, regulation, and customer development, with a front‑row seat as a deep‑tech company moves toward its first commercial pilots.