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MBA Intern Operations & Growth

If you want to own a business someday — or help others do it — this is where you start.

The Decade Project is on a mission to grow American business ownership to look like America. With 3 million businesses ($5–6 trillion in revenues) with employees whose owners are over age 55, we are initially focused on Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) and particularly women acquirers. We need people who are ready to build it with us. That is exactly why this role exists.

This is not a role for someone who wants to observe, advise, or build decks. We are looking for a doer — someone who rolls up their sleeves, figures it out, and gets things done without waiting to be told how. If you are driven by the energy of a startup, excited to build something from scratch, and hungry to make a real difference, you will thrive here. If you want a polished, structured internship with a clear playbook, this is not it.

You will report to TDP's Head of Operations and work day-to-day with the Operations team and our Operating Partners, getting deals moving, building our brand, and helping turn an early-stage nonprofit into a machine that creates real business owners. You will also have direct exposure to Maura O’Neill and Hannah Greenberg, two of the most respected names in entrepreneurship and ETA. This is a rare opportunity to be part of building something that matters, from the inside, from the start.

What You'll Actually Do

This role spans four areas. You will not own all of them from day one, but you will touch all of them, and own increasing parts as you prove yourself.

Operations & Deal Support

Help TDP's Operating Partners move faster and focus on what only they can do — building relationships with business owners and closing deals. You handle the groundwork.

•    Business research — identify acquisition targets in our active verticals using directories, databases, LinkedIn, and direct research

•    Pipeline management — keep the deal tracker current — status, next steps, and follow-up actions logged and never falling through the cracks

•    Outreach support — draft initial outreach messages and communication templates for Operating Partner use

•    Due diligence prep — pull together background research on target businesses — financials, ownership history, market context — ahead of OP conversations

•    Financial modeling — build and maintain deal models — EBITDA scenarios, leverage structures, IRR sensitivities — that help the Board evaluate opportunities

Marketing & Brand Building

Our primary audience is the woman or BIPOC professional who has never considered business ownership, and we need to reach them.

•    Content creation — write LinkedIn posts, newsletter issues, and short-form content that brings TDP's mission to life

•    Social media management — manage TDP's LinkedIn and Instagram presence, consistent posting, engagement, and growing our audience

•    Website support — contribute to website copy, update pages as the team grows, and help keep the site current

•    'Built Different' video series — coordinate the logistics of our interview series with board members and Operating Partners — scheduling, prep, and follow-through

•    PR & media support — research podcast targets, draft outreach to journalists and publications, and help track media opportunities for Maura, Hannah, and Marzi

Community Building & Events

TDP's community is its product. We are building a network of entrepreneurs, operators, capital partners, and supporters who believe in what we are doing — and that network needs to grow.

•    Event coordination — help plan and execute TDP's webinar series, quarterly in-person events, and the Year 1 Summit — logistics, invitations, run-of-show, follow-up

•    Partner outreach — research and draft outreach to academic partners, HBCU entrepreneurship centers, women's business organizations, and professional networks

•    Entrepreneur recruitment — help identify and reach prospective TDP entrepreneurs through alumni networks, MBA programs, and community channels

•    Newsletter — own the production of 'The Ownership Letter' — our monthly newsletter — from content to distribution

•    Community tracking — keep the People Tracker current as TDP's network grows — new contacts, updated statuses, and next steps documented

Operational Infrastructure

We are building TDP's infrastructure from the ground up. A lot of what we need does not exist yet — and you will help build it.

•    Playbook development — help document TDP's processes as we learn them — sourcing, diligence, entrepreneur evaluation, and post-close support

•    Board prep — assist the Head of Operations in preparing Board meeting materials — pre-reads, decks, and action item tracking

•    CRM and systems — help manage TDP's shared tools — keeping the deal tracker, people tracker, and document library organized and up to date

•    Research & analysis — market research on target verticals, industry landscape, and comparable acquisition activity to support OP and Board decisions

Who We're Looking For

You are:

•    Ambitious and impatient — you want to do real things, not study them

•    Hands-on — you will roll up your sleeves on whatever needs doing

•    An owner by nature — you think about problems the way an owner does, not an employee

•    A strong communicator — you can write well, speak clearly, and read a room

•    Organized and reliable — you follow through, and people can count on you

•    Excited about the mission — the ownership gap means something to you

You have:

•    MBA candidate status (current student or recent grad)

•    Experience in finance, consulting, operations, marketing, or a startup environment

•    Basic financial modeling skills — you are not afraid of Excel or a deal model

•    Some marketing or content experience — writing, social, events, or communications

•    A bias toward action — you get things started, not just planned

•    Curiosity about ETA or small business ownership (prior knowledge is a plus, not a requirement)

What You'll Walk Away With

Most internships give you a project and a reference. This one gives you something different.

•    Real deal experience — you will have seen live acquisition opportunities evaluated, structured, and moved toward close — not in a simulation

•    A working knowledge of ETA — from sourcing to diligence to financing to close — you will understand the full model

•        Work alongside the best — you will be in the room with Maura O’Neill, Hannah Greenberg, and a team of Operating Partners who have built and run real businesses at the highest level

•    A live portfolio of work — content you wrote, events you ran, models you built, and systems you created — all of it real and referenceable

•    A network that compounds — Operating Partners, capital sources, entrepreneurs, and advisors you will know by name and who will know yours

•    Clarity on ownership — by the end, you will know whether acquiring or building a business is your next chapter — and you will have the foundation to do it

The Practical Details

Location

Remote with preference for Bay Area; some in-person for events and key meetings

Hours

20–40 hours per week, flexible — structured around your schedule and TDP's needs

Duration

Up to 12 months; minimum commitment of one semester or 4 months

Reports to

Head of Operations

Compensation

$40 per hour; performance bonus based on outcomes

Start date

As soon as possible — we are moving quickly

The Decade Project is an equal opportunity organization. We actively seek applicants who represent the communities we serve. | thedecadeproject.org