Capital Sourcing & Strategic Finance Intern

NALEJ; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 21,000 - 34,000; Part time

Job summary

NALEJ.ai seeks a research-driven Capital Sourcing & Strategic Finance Intern to support identification and engagement of capital sources across public, private, federal, state, and DoD funding channels. Build a capital source tracker, prepare concise source briefs, and support leadership with actionable intelligence for capital planning and external engagement.

The role emphasizes structured analysis of non-dilutive funding, public financing programs, and strategic investors, with weekly updates

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in related undergraduate/graduate program; GMU students preferred.
• Strong research skills to evaluate public finance programs and funding portals.
• Interest in capital strategy, corporate finance, VC, PPP, or gov funding.
• Proficiency with MS Office; Excel/CRM/database experience preferred.
• Analytical and written communication skills for briefs and trackers.
• Ability to synthesize complex funding information.
• Ability to work independently with strong communication.
• Familiarity with federal funding programs is a plus.
• Willingness to pursue clearance if needed.

Responsibilities

• Research and map capital sources across federal, state, local, DoD, public, private programs.
• Identify non-dilutive and alternative funding paths (grants, loans, incentives).
• Research VC, strategic investors, corporate funds, family offices.
• Build a capital source tracker with criteria, type, range, timing, risks, next steps.
• Prepare concise briefs summarizing fit, value, path, and considerations.
• Draft outreach notes, backgrounders, meeting prep, and follow-up trackers.
• Coordinate with ops/finance/BD to avoid duplication with contracting.
• Provide weekly updates and recommendations to CEO.

Skills

Capital research

Financial analysis

MS Office

Written communication

Independent work

Synthesis of info

Public policy awareness

Education

Undergraduate/Graduate student

Job description

Job Summary

NALEJ.ai is seeking a research-driven Capital Sourcing & Strategic Finance Intern to support the identification, evaluation, and engagement of potential capital sources across public, private, federal, state, local, DoD, and agency-affiliated funding channels. This role is focused on building a structured view of capital pathways that may support NALEJ's growth strategy, including non-dilutive funding, public financing programs, strategic investment sources, state and local economic development programs, and private capital relationships. The intern will help build a capital source tracker, prepare concise source briefs, and support leadership with actionable intelligence for capital planning and external engagement.

Responsibilities

• Research and map potential capital sources across federal, state, local, DoD, public, private, and agency-affiliated programs relevant to NALEJ's growth strategy.


• Identify non-dilutive and alternative capital pathways, including grants, loans, loan guarantees, economic development incentives, innovation funds, challenge/prize programs, and public-private partnership opportunities.


• Research private and strategic capital sources, including venture capital, strategic investors, corporate innovation funds, family offices, and mission-aligned investment groups.


• Build and maintain a structured capital source tracker with eligibility criteria, capital type, funding range, application or engagement requirements, timing, risk considerations, and recommended next steps.


• Prepare concise capital source briefs that summarize source fit, value proposition, engagement path, and key considerations for NALEJ leadership.


• Support preparation for external engagement by drafting outreach notes, backgrounders, meeting prep materials, and follow-up action trackers.


• Coordinate with Corporate Operations, Finance, and BD stakeholders to distinguish capital sourcing from traditional contract pursuit and avoid duplication of effort.


• Provide weekly capital sourcing updates and priority recommendations to Corporate Operations and the CEO.

Job Requirements / Skills

• Currently enrolled in a Business, Finance, Public Policy, Economics, Entrepreneurship, or related undergraduate/graduate program; George Mason University students preferred.


• Strong research skills with the ability to assess public finance programs, investor profiles, agency websites, state and local economic development resources, and federal funding portals.


• Demonstrated interest in capital strategy, corporate finance, venture funding, public-private partnerships, government funding mechanisms, or small business growth.


• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; experience with Excel, CRM systems, databases, or financial tracking tools preferred.


• Strong analytical and written communication skills for producing executive-ready source briefs, trackers, and recommendations.


• Ability to synthesize complex funding or capital information into clear decision-support materials.


• Ability to work independently on research tasks while maintaining consistent communication, documentation, and follow-through.


• Familiarity with federal budget, appropriations, SBIR/STTR, SBA, venture capital, or economic development programs is a plus but not required.


• Security clearance not required; willingness to pursue clearance upon potential FTE/PTE conversion preferred.

Key Tasks

• Build and maintain a master capital source tracker covering public, private, federal, state, local, DoD, and agency-affiliated capital pathways.


• Conduct a baseline capital landscape analysis within the first 30 days identifying priority capital sources relevant to NALEJ's business profile, technology focus areas, and growth stage.


• Identify and summarize at least 20 qualified capital sources during the internship, segmented by source type, fit, timing, expected funding range, and engagement path.


• Develop a simple scoring framework to prioritize capital sources based on strategic fit, funding potential, dilution/non-dilution, eligibility, timeline, application or engagement burden, and probability of pursuit.


• Prepare weekly capital source briefs or updates for review by Corporate Operations and the CEO.


• Draft outreach language, meeting preparation notes, and follow-up trackers for priority capital source engagements.


• Deliver a final capital sourcing roadmap with prioritized sources, recommended next steps, and a 90-day action plan for NALEJ leadership.

Learning Outcomes

• 1. Gain practical experience researching and evaluating capital sources for a growing defense technology company.


• 2. Develop working knowledge of public, private, federal, state, local, DoD, and agency-affiliated capital pathways.


• 3. Learn how to assess capital sources based on strategic fit, eligibility, funding range, timeline, dilution/non-dilution, engagement requirements, and pursuit value.


• 4. Build experience preparing executive-ready capital source briefs, outreach materials, trackers, and strategic finance recommendations.


• 5. Understand how capital sourcing supports corporate growth, business development, technology investment, and long-term financial planning.

Measures of Success

• 1. A comprehensive master capital source tracker is created, maintained, and usable by Corporate Operations, Finance, and leadership.


• 2. The intern completes a baseline capital landscape analysis within the first 30 days, identifying priority source categories and near-term opportunities.


• 3. At least 15 qualified capital sources are identified, researched, segmented, and scored for strategic fit and pursuit value.


• 4. Weekly capital sourcing updates provide clear recommendations, engagement paths, deadlines, decision points, and required internal support.


• 5. Priority capital source briefs are concise, accurate, and actionable for CEO or executive-level review.


• 6. The intern delivers a final Capital Sourcing Roadmap with a prioritized source list, recommended engagement strategy, and 90-day action plan for NALEJ leadership.