Capital Sourcing & Strategic Finance Intern

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.