Strategy Intern - manda (iwoca’s M&A Platform)

Strategy Intern - manda (iwoca’s M&A Platform)

We’re looking for a strategy intern to join the founding team of manda. A new high-growth venture within iwoca.

Small business owners find it hard to sell their business. Information asymmetry, messy data, and a lack of access to capital lead to an underserved SME market. Leveraging iwoca’s ability to build clean, efficient processes and our deep footprint in the SME economy, we are building a "Market Maker" model to fix this.

The Role

You will be working directly with the Venture Lead to define, validate and implement the strategy for this new venture which launched in early 2026. This is a paid off-cycle internship lasting up to 6 months, with the potential to convert into a full-time role.

Examples of business problems you may tackle are:

1. To determine how we communicate our value proposition to customers and how we differentiate from others in the market: you will compare the different M&A service models currently operating in the UK SME economy and beyond. For example, analyse differences in fee structures, matching processes and mandate acquisition channels used. Review listing platforms and traditional advisory firms, and everything in between.

2. Improve the understanding of our unit economics and its sensitivities to ensure we build sustainable businesses: by analysing the relationship between our cost base, customer lifetime and revenue model. Then you’ll propose improvements across the entire business of manda.

3. Look at ways to implement or improve operational aspects of manda: such as the matching engine, which converts search mandates from buyers into a short-list of acquisition targets. Or, understanding required changes to our existing credit products to turn it into an embedded acquisition finance offering.

Who You Are

We are looking for a commercial thinker who is comfortable navigating ambiguity and building structure from scratch.

• You are principal-driven: You don’t just follow instructions; you understand the core principles of trust, speed, and certainty and apply them to solve problems.

• You are analytical: You are comfortable with data. Whether it's analyzing conversion funnels or modeling fee structures, you back up your opinions with numbers.

• You are a structured communicator: You can distill complex market dynamics into clear, actionable insights for the leadership team.

• You are need-driven: You are happy to get your hands dirty. We are a small team, and you will prioritize based on the raw friction of closing deals.

The Requirements

• Available for a full-time, off-cycle placement for up to 6 months.

• Strong academic background (Economics, Business, Finance, or Engineering preferred).

• Bonus: A clear analytics toolpack such as Excel, SQL, python, Looker, Power BI etc.

• Bonus: Previous internship experience in Strategy Consulting, Venture Capital, Startups, or Corporate Development.

The Salary

This is a paid internship and comes with annual compensation between £27,000 - £30,000. If the position is converted into full-time employment compensation will be re-benchmarked against the new position.

The Culture

You’ll join the founding team building manda as a high-growth venture within iwoca. We operate with the autonomy and pace of a startup, backed by the infrastructure of a proven fintech scale-up.

At iwoca, we prioritise a culture of learning, growth, and support. We encourage you to explore new areas of interest; which is exactly what this rotational role is designed to do.

The Offices & Benefits

We put a lot of effort into making iwoca a great place to work:

• Offices in London, Leeds, Berlin, and Frankfurt with plenty of drinks and snacks.

• Events and clubs, like bingo, comedy nights, football, etc.

• Flexible working hours.

• Gym discounts and medical insurance access (subject to contract length).

• Company-wide talks with internal and external speakers.