Business Development Associate

**Company Description**

akirolabs is a Berlin-based AI SaaS company redefining how enterprises think and act in strategic procurement. Our next-generation platform fuses world-class methodology with proprietary AI to turn complex data and collaboration into powerful, value-driven strategies.

Founded in 2021 and backed by leading venture investors, we’re trusted by global leaders like UCB Pharma, Bertelsmann, and Raiffeisen Bank International. Recognized by Spend Matters as a Future 5 ProcureTech startup and by appliedAI as one of Germany’s top AI innovators, akirolabs is shaping the intelligence layer of the enterprise.

At akirolabs, humans and AI work side by side — not to automate decisions, but to amplify them. We’re on a mission to empower the next generation of procurement and business talent to drive sustainable impact, faster decisions, and smarter strategies worldwide.

Join us as we build the global operating system for strategic procurement — and help reinvent how business strategy gets done.

**The impact you’ll make**

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 Business Development Associate (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.

**In this role you will**:
Theme 1: Prospecting & Lead Generation

- 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.

Theme 2: Lead Qualification & Pipeline Management

- 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.

Theme 3: Sales Operations

- 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**

**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.

**Qualifications**
**Your Values**

- Self-motivated, resilient, comfortable handling rejection and maintaining consistent activity
- Excellent time management and organizational skills
- Results-driven approach with competitive spirit
- Adapt at multitasking and prioritizing effectively..
- The ability to thrive in ambiguity and work autonomously as a high level contributor
- 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

**Your Profile**

- Drive to sell with discipline and initiative - you communicate clearly with senior stakeholders, think analytically, stay coachable, and bounce back quickly
- Strong communication, presentation and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport and engage prospects in meaningful conversations.
- Preferably, you have initial client exposure in your previous internship/roles (e.g. an