Business Development Intern (MBA)

Patreon is a media and community platform where over 300,000 creators give their biggest fans access to exclusive work and experiences. We offer creators a variety of ways to engage with their fans and build a lasting business including: paid memberships, free memberships, community chats, live video, and selling to fans directly with one-time purchases.

Ultimately our goal is simple: fund the creative class. And we're leaders in that space, with:

• $10 billion+ in revenue generated since Patreon's inception

• 100 million+ free memberships for fans who may not be ready to pay just yet, and

• 25 million+ paid memberships on Patreon today.

We're continuing to invest heavily in building the best creator platform with the best team in the creator economy and are looking for a Business Development Intern to support our mission.

This internship is designed for those graduating between December 2026 through June 2027. Please only apply to one role that best fits your experience and interests. Multiple applications may result in a delayed application review.

Our summer internship is a 12-week long program (May - Aug. 2026 or June - Sept. 2026) hosted in our New York City office and open to those who are able to be in-office 2 days per week on a hybrid work model.

The Business Development team works cross-functionally to unlock business opportunities across product partnerships, channel partnerships, and value partnerships. Collectively, these partnerships help us to grow TPV (total payment volume), innovate our product, and more effectively serve our creators and patrons.

• Product Partnerships: Introduce new product features through third party integrations that will enhance our suite of tools for Creators

• Channel Partnerships: Supercharge Creator or fan acquisition through strategic B2B partnerships with brands or platforms that can funnel Creators or members to Patreon at scale.

• Value Partnerships: Our value partnerships focus on collaborating with creator-centric platforms and brands that unlock new value for our creators, members, and business e.g. discounts, exclusive access, and new revenue streams.

About the Role

Patreon is seeking an intern to join our Business Development team, focused on creator ecosystem strategy and partnerships. This role sits at the intersection of strategy, growth, and the rapidly evolving creator economy.

You’ll help identify, evaluate, and shape high-impact partnership opportunities that drive creator and fan acquisition, expand our ecosystem, and strengthen Patreon’s long-term strategic position. This is a research- and analysis-driven role. You will play a critical role in informing which partnerships we pursue and how we structure them.

Over the course of the internship, you’ll:

• Identify and research potential partners across the creator, media, and technology ecosystem

• Conduct due diligence on high-priority opportunities

• Analyze fan acquisition and creator acquisition partnership models

• Build business cases and internal pitch materials to support partnership decisions

• Evaluate competitive dynamics and emerging monetization trends

• Propose and assess potential deal structures

• Support the development and review of partnership deal memos

This is a high-visibility role with exposure to cross-functional leaders across Product, Growth, Marketing, and Finance. Your work will directly inform strategic decisions tied to Patreon’s growth and mission.

About You

You are deeply immersed in the creator economy and excited about the future of media, platforms, and monetization. You may be a creator yourself — or someone who closely follows how creators build audiences, generate revenue, and leverage new tools.

You combine ecosystem fluency with strong analytical rigor. You’re comfortable turning ambiguous questions into structured frameworks, building business cases, and distilling complex research into clear recommendations.

• You are currently enrolled in and pursuing an MBA.

• You have prior experience in strategy, business development, growth, partnerships, or operations at a tech, media, or marketplace company.

• You have experience conducting structured market research and competitive analysis and have built financial or scenario models to evaluate new initiatives.

• You are curious about how partnerships drive distribution and growth.

• You follow emerging trends in creator tools, AI, media platforms, and monetization models.

Most importantly, you care about empowering creators and are motivated by Patreon’s mission to help creators build sustainable businesses.

About Patreon

Patreon powers creators to do what they love and get paid by the people who love what they do. Our team is passionate about making this mission and our core values come to life every day in our work. Through this work, our Patronauts:

• Put Creators First | They’re the reason we’re here. When creators win, we win.

• Build with Craft | We sign our name to every deliverable, just like the creators we serve.

• Make it Happen | We don’t quit. We learn and deliver.

• Win Together | We grow as individuals. We win as a team.

We hire talented and passionate people from different backgrounds because workplace diversity and inclusion is critical to our ability to serve creators worldwide. If you’re excited about a role but your past experience doesn’t match with every bullet point outlined above, we strongly encourage you to apply anyway. If you’re a creator at heart, are energized by our mission, and share our company values, we’d love to hear from you.

Patreon is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected class. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the interview process, please let us know via email at accomodations@patreon.

Patreon operates under a hybrid work model, where employees based in office locations are expected to come into the office two days per week, excluding sick time and paid leave. The goal of this policy is to be intentional about the in-person time we spend together to strengthen the feeling of community at Patreon. Candidates hired into remote-eligible roles are not expected to meet the same requirements.

At Patreon, we believe in fair and transparent pay. In compliance with New York pay transparency laws, we are sharing the expected salary range for this role.

The posted salary range is dependent on the location and the level. This range may encompass multiple levels within the role’s job family. The final offer will be based on candidate’s experience, skills, competencies, and geographic location, aligning with the appropriate job level within Patreon’s leveling framework.

Patreon reserves the right to modify or update compensation and benefits at any time.