About The Role

You will be the team's eyes and ears — researching markets, competitors, vendors and prospects so the team can move faster and make better decisions. Every output you produce will directly inform real business decisions across sales, partnerships, product and hiring.

If you are naturally curious, detail-oriented and take pride in turning raw information into clear, actionable insights — this role is for you.

What You Will Do

Conduct market and competitor research across SEA speech and AI industries
Analyse competitor pricing, positioning and product offerings
Research and evaluate vendors and service providers for operational needs
Identify and qualify leads and prospects for business development
Support outreach and pipeline research for the BD team
Conduct LinkedIn and social media research to support partnerships and hiring
Assist with recruitment research and intern hiring support
Handle ad-hoc research and operational tasks as needed by the team

What We're Looking For

Strong research skills — you know how to find information that is not easy to find
Clear and structured written communication — you turn research into usable outputs
Detail-oriented and thorough — you do not miss things
Proactive — you surface insights without being asked
Comfortable working across multiple tasks and shifting priorities
Familiar with LinkedIn, Google, and basic research tools
Startup mindset — you get things done without hand-holding

Strong Plus

Experience with market research, BD or competitive analysis
Familiarity with CRM tools or prospecting tools
Interest in AI, speech technology or the Southeast Asian market
Prior internship experience in a startup environment

Who Will Thrive Here

Curious people who enjoy digging for information
Detail-oriented individuals who take pride in thorough, accurate work
Fast workers who can handle multiple requests without dropping the ball
People who treat every research task as a chance to add real value

What You'll Gain

Broad exposure to business operations, BD, product and hiring at an AI startup
Real research outputs used in live business decisions
Direct collaboration with the founding team
A strong foundation for roles in strategy, BD, operations or consulting
Potential pathway to a full-time role based on performance
This is an unpaid internship. No salary or stipend is provided at this stage.

About VALSEA

We're building the speech intelligence layer for Southeast Asia — turning real-world, accented, code-switched speech into structured, usable outputs for businesses.

Research & Operations Intern