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Restorative Aquaculture Market Discovery Intern
Builders Initiative/Builders Vision
People & HR
Chicago, IL, USA
Posted on Mar 1, 2026
Classification: Full-time, Non-Exempt
Position Reports to: Senior Associate Program Officer, Oceans
Location: Chicago, IL
About Builders Vision
Builders Vision is a team of investors and philanthropists that deploys flexible capital and pursues innovative solutions to expedite the transition of the Oceans, Food and Agriculture, and Energy sectors.
We aim to build stronger, more resilient systems within these three sectors while remaining nimble and innovating within emerging solutions and community initiatives. Our coordinated solutions span market development, incentivizing innovation, and delivering market-rate investments. We help investors, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and frontline changemakers access the resources, insights, and expertise they need to succeed.
Notable accomplishments include helping mitigate, sequester, or avoid over 4 million metric tons of CO2e, generating 42,000 jobs, and supporting the development of more than 170 sustainable products, technologies, or solutions.
Who We Are
With more than 80 people driving our work forward, our teams include diverse and impassioned experts across investment, philanthropy, strategic communications, legal, and general operations.
Builders Vision’s commitment to people and the planet is rooted in our workplace and culture.
- We have best-in-class total rewards and benefits programs, including competitive compensation, a generous 401k program, and an industry-leading long-term incentive program that rewards our team for their performance, financial returns, and the impact we achieve in the world.
- We also offer generous health, wellness, employee training and development opportunities, and charitable match programs.
- We know how to have fun! We host enriching and inclusive team events and retreats to help our staff feel connected to nature, each other, and our mission.
- We were named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2023 and voted one of Chicago’s Best Places to Work by Crain’s Chicago Business in both 2023 and 2024.
- The company headquarters, located in Chicago’s vibrant West Loop, achieved Gold-level certifications from both the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the International WELL Building Institute.
A long-term and deep commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) is core to our mission and values. We recognize that a diverse workforce drives innovation, enhances collaboration, and strengthens the leadership needed to achieve meaningful impact and financial returns. That's why we are dedicated to proactively recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent from a broad and dynamic candidate pool. It’s with these goals in mind that we aspire for our team to reflect the diverse communities we serve.
About Builders Vision Philanthropy (BVP)
The philanthropy team accelerates and catalyzes change through grantmaking and investing in people and organizations driving market growth and creation. Through research, early-stage company investment, advocacy, and coordination with market experts, our team is helping to build markets essential to a transition to a more resilient future. We deploy grants and investments to over 300 partners through a nearly $3.3 billion philanthropic endowment, donor-advised funds (DAFs), and Builders Bridge, a catalytic investment LLC.
Position Summary
Builders Vision is seeking a motivated and analytical intern to join the BVP Oceans team for a cross-office learning internship. This role will be pivotal in synthesizing market intelligence to inform our Restorative Aquaculture efforts, specifically focusing on how philanthropic and investment capital can collectively scale impact within the global market. Over the past five years, our strategy has been successful in: (1) increasing the sustainable production of seaweed and expanding farmer networks and capacity; and (2) creating the enabling conditions for market development through targeted policy, advocacy, research, and innovation. As we move forward, we are collaborating closely with the Builders Bridge Investment and Builders Asset Management teams to strengthen our cross-office impact. The intern will identify and evaluate emerging markets for seaweed to determine where our catalytic capital can most effectively unlock the next major wave of industry growth. This role offers a unique opportunity to blend research, analysis, stakeholder engagement, and writing to help identify market-building opportunities for our cross-office Restorative Aquaculture work.
Primary Responsibilities
In this role, you will apply superior strategic thinking skills, curiosity, and attention to detail while being an effective team member. Specifically, you will:
- Landscape Mapping: Research and catalog the emerging value chain of diversified seaweed applications, identifying high-potential species and innovators across sectors such as biomaterials, agricultural bio stimulants, animal feed, pet food, nutraceuticals, etc.
- Barriers & Roadblock Identification: Analyze technical and economic hurdles (i.e., regulatory frameworks, processing infrastructure, and cost-competitiveness) that currently limit the adoption of seaweed-based alternatives in potential applications
- Market Research & Analysis: Conduct research focusing on growth projections, high-growth segments, consumer trends, and environmental/climate impacts
- Stakeholder & Ecosystem Engagement: Identify strategic partners (i.e., NGOs, funders, industry), facilitate knowledge exchange, and synthesize research into actionable insights for our cross-office teams
- Final Project Deliverable: A comprehensive final report and presentation that summarizes high-growth and high-impact market segments, a roadmap of bottlenecks and solutions, and a shortlist of key stakeholders/partnerships for cross-office learning and impact opportunities in Restorative Aquaculture
Please note this position description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the associate in this position. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may evolve or change over time.
Preferred Qualifications
- No prior philanthropic or investment experience needed, but is helpful
- Currently pursuing or recently completed an MBA, however a range of degrees will be considered
- Background and/or strong interest in aquaculture, agriculture, or sustainable market solutions desired
- Experience and interest in researching market trends and data
- Ability to synthesize research into strategic recommendations
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to meet deadlines and maintain attention to detail
- Open-minded, collaborative, and eager to learn
Personal Attributes that Support your Success
- You are a caring and conscientious team player who develops strong relationships and loves to collaborate; You adapt your behaviors to work effectively with a range of people and situations
- You bring positive energy to your work and workplace; you care to show up as your authentic self and measure your personal success as the success of those around you.
- You are results and detail oriented and take pride in striving for excellence; you design and execute with the “why” and what success looks like in mind; you also understand when “perfect” can be the enemy of “good enough”
- A lifelong learner, you are inquisitive and like to solve problems with bold thinking and innovation; you view “feedback” as an opportunity for growth
- You display flexibility and openness in daily work and encourage others to stay open to change and improvement; You accept and readily adapt to changing priorities, new ideas, strategies and methods.
Builders Vision is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply, including women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected status under applicable laws and regulations.