Sourcing & Partnerships Intern, PGP Forge | Mesa School of Business
Bengaluru
This is a Paid internship (₹20,000 per Month)
Internship Start Date: ASAP
Internship Location: Bangalore
About the Role
We are looking for a Sourcing & Partnerships Intern to help build a strong network of professors, founders, operators, industry experts, and mentors for Mesa’s Forge program.
This is an outreach-heavy, execution-focused role. You will identify the right experts, reach out to them, communicate Mesa’s vision, and build relationships that translate into meaningful mentorship and learning opportunities for student ventures.
You will also create the systems required to manage this network at scale, from sourcing databases and outreach pipelines to follow-ups, scheduling, and mentor engagement.
This role is ideal for someone who enjoys speaking to new people, communicates clearly, thinks in a structured manner, and is comfortable taking ownership of a target-driven outreach process.
Key Responsibilities
Expert and Mentor Sourcing
Research and identify professors, founders, operators, investors, functional experts, and industry leaders who can contribute to Mesa’s Forge program.
Build targeted lists based on specific needs, sectors, business models, and functional expertise.
Identify experts across areas such as product, technology, marketing, sales, finance, operations, branding, and fundraising.
Assess whether potential mentors are relevant to the stage and needs of student ventures.
Outreach and Relationship Building
Conduct high-volume, personalised outreach through email, LinkedIn, phone calls, referrals, and other channels.
Clearly communicate Mesa’s vision, the Forge program, and the proposed mentor or partnership opportunity.
Schedule and coordinate introductory conversations with interested experts.
Build warm, professional relationships with mentors and partners over time.
Follow up consistently and respectfully until conversations reach a clear outcome.
Systems and Pipeline Management
Set up and maintain structured databases for prospects, conversations, follow-ups, and confirmed mentors.
Build repeatable outreach workflows, communication templates, and tracking systems.
Maintain accurate records of mentor expertise, availability, interests, and engagement history.
Identify bottlenecks in the sourcing process and continuously improve the outreach approach.
Ecosystem and Partnership Development
Help Mesa build long-term relationships with universities, startup communities, accelerators, companies, and professional networks.
Identify potential collaborations for workshops, mentorship, industry projects, tools, sponsorships, and student exposure.
Represent Mesa professionally in external conversations and ecosystem events.
Who We’re Looking For
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong structured thinking and the ability to organise large amounts of information.
Enjoys outreach, networking, and initiating conversations with new people.
Comfortable with cold outreach and persistent follow-ups.
Strong research skills and the ability to identify highly relevant people rather than simply building large lists.
High attention to detail, especially while managing contacts, follow-ups, and schedules.
Strong ownership and the ability to drive tasks independently.
Professional, confident, and thoughtful while communicating with senior professors, founders, and industry leaders.
Comfortable working with targets and tracking progress through clear metrics.
Able to handle rejection without losing momentum or compromising communication quality.
Curious about startups, entrepreneurship, business education, and venture building.
Comfortable using spreadsheets, CRMs, LinkedIn, email tools, and AI tools to make research and outreach more effective.
Prior experience in business development, partnerships, recruitment, community building, sales, founder’s office, or event outreach is helpful but not mandatory.
What Success Looks Like
Mesa has a well-organised and continuously growing pipeline of high-quality professors and mentors.
Outreach is timely, personalised, and consistently followed through.
Student venture teams are matched with experts who are genuinely relevant to their challenges.
Mentor interactions are well-coordinated and valuable for both students and experts.
The systems you create make sourcing and partnership management faster, clearer, and more scalable.
Why Join Mesa
Work closely with founders, professors, operators, and industry leaders.
Build the mentor and expert network behind a hands-on venture-building program.
Gain direct exposure to startups across multiple sectors and business models.
Learn how partnerships, communities, and educational ecosystems are built from the ground up.
Be part of building a new model of business education.