Business Development Intern

Portal Biotechnologies, headquartered in Watertown, MA, is a rapidly scaling cell-engineering platform company operating across three high-value business lines (biopharma R&D screening, next-generation cell therapy manufacturing, and AI training data generation), addressing markets totaling $100B+. Since launching its first product in 2024, Portal has built a network of 100+ active customers, including the top 10 global pharmaceutical companies and leading academic hospitals and cancer centers worldwide. Backed by $24M in venture funding and an $8M DARPA contract, Portal’s proprietary mechanoporation technology enables efficient multiplex delivery of diverse cargos such as RNA, proteins, small molecules, and gene-editing tools without compromising cell function. The approach is simple and scalable, supporting applications from high-throughput drug screening to clinical-scale manufacturing, and it works both as a stand-alone system and as an integrated component in third-party platforms. In biopharma R&D, Portal’s products enable novel screening assays by delivering otherwise cell-impermeable probes and candidate molecules directly into live cells, unlocking intracellular access that standard methods cannot provide. In cell therapy, Portal’s GMP-integrated consumables and a DARPA-funded portable device (launching 2027) are aimed at making engineered cell therapies as accessible and ubiquitous as an infusion pump. In AI training data, Portal generates high-value, multiparametric datasets from primary cells, producing biologically relevant training data that current cell line-based methods cannot replicate. With a leadership team bringing decades of experience in biotech operations and clinical cell therapy development, Portal is positioned to become the foundational platform for next-generation cell engineering, drug discovery, and biological AI data generation. Internship Description : As a Business Development Intern at Portal Biotechnologies, you will play a crucial role in supporting our strategic growth initiatives. This part-time internship offers an exciting opportunity to work directly with a senior scientific partner to drive our business development efforts by leveraging a blend of business and scientific insights. You will be involved in a variety of projects aimed at fostering new partnerships and expanding market presence. Your responsibilities will include: ● Market Exploration and Opportunity Identification: Conduct research to identify emerging market trends and potential opportunities ● Collaboration and Relationship Building: Assist in developing and nurturing relationships with partners, ranging from pharma companies to research institutions. ● Strategy Development: Contribute to the creation and implementation of strategies for outreach, lead generation, and market penetration. Help devise actionable plans to attract and engage potential collaborators and customers. Required Qualifications: ● Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Biosciences, having completed at least two years of your program. ● Demonstrated interest in business development, sales, and the startup ecosystem. ● Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain professional relationships. ● Self-motivated and capable of working independently in a remote setting while managing time effectively. ● Available to start immediately and/or by mid July 2026. Application Process : Interested candidates should submit their resume and response to the following prompt to by 10/15/26. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Prompt: Please name a lab or company you think we should be working with and tell us why you picked them. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and to provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex or gender identity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, we comply with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.