B2B Sales & Market Trainee – arbeidstrening/praksis i industri-startup

Salary Unpaid

Company: RoboConnect AS

Location: Molde, Norway

Work type: Internship / trainee / work training

Salary: Unpaid in the initial phase

Equity: No equity

Long-term possibility: Paid commercial role may become possible if RoboConnect secures revenue, funding or a suitable commercial basis

Short description

RoboConnect is building an AI-supported B2B platform that helps industrial companies clarify automation needs before they invest in robotics, automation or system integration.

We are looking for a commercially minded person who wants hands-on experience with B2B sales, customer development, market outreach and startup growth. This is not a co-founder role and not an ordinary paid sales position at this stage. It may become a paid role later if the collaboration works well and RoboConnect develops commercially.

About RoboConnect

Many industrial companies know they need to automate, but struggle to define what should be automated, what information is missing, whether the process is ready for investment, and which suppliers they should involve.

RoboConnect helps companies move from an unclear automation need to a structured and decision-relevant basis for internal decisions and supplier dialogue. The platform combines industrial automation insight, structured project data, AI-supported needs clarification, project preparation and matching with relevant automation partners.

The first focus area is welding automation and high-mix, low-volume manufacturing. We are currently preparing customer pilots and commercial testing in Norway.

Why we need commercial help

RoboConnect now needs more direct contact with the market.

We need to speak with industrial companies, system integrators, automation suppliers and potential pilot customers. The goal is to understand their needs, test the value of RoboConnect, book relevant conversations and help build the first commercial pipeline.

This role is for someone who wants to learn practical B2B sales in an early-stage startup and is comfortable with outreach, customer dialogue and follow-up.

What you will work on

You may contribute to:

  • identifying relevant industrial companies and automation partners

  • researching potential customer segments

  • preparing outreach lists and contact plans

  • contacting companies by email, phone or LinkedIn

  • booking meetings with potential pilot customers or partners

  • following up leads and conversations

  • helping prepare simple sales material

  • updating CRM or lead tracking

  • documenting customer feedback

  • helping RoboConnect understand why customers are interested, hesitant or not ready

  • supporting founder-led sales and market validation

You will not be expected to sell something you do not understand. The first phase will involve learning the RoboConnect concept, the customer problem and the automation market.

Who we are looking for

You do not need to be an experienced salesperson, but you must be willing to contact people, ask questions and handle rejection.

You should be:

  • curious about B2B sales, startups and industrial technology

  • comfortable contacting companies directly

  • structured and reliable in follow-up

  • able to write clear emails and messages

  • willing to learn about automation and industrial customers

  • interested in customer needs, not only “selling”

  • able to document what you learn

  • comfortable working in an early-stage startup with limited resources

Experience from sales, customer service, business development, marketing, CRM, HubSpot, LinkedIn outreach and industrial companies is an advantage.

Language and location

Norwegian language skills are strongly preferred, because RoboConnect works with Norwegian industrial companies.

The ideal candidate is located in Molde or within commuting distance. Candidates who can meet in person regularly will be prioritized. Some remote work may be possible, but this role benefits from close collaboration with the founder.

Practical setup and compensation

This is initially intended as an unpaid internship, trainee role or work-training opportunity, depending on the candidate’s situation.

It may be especially relevant for someone who:

  • wants practical B2B sales experience

  • wants startup experience

  • has studied business, marketing, sales, technology or entrepreneurship

  • is registered with NAV and may be eligible for work training or a similar arrangement

  • wants to build a stronger commercial CV and portfolio

Any NAV-related arrangement must be clarified and approved through NAV before starting.

There is no base salary in the initial phase. If the candidate contributes to documented commercial results, a limited bonus or commission model may be considered under a separate written agreement, provided this is compatible with any NAV arrangement and applicable rules.

Any commission would only apply to clearly defined, qualified and approved results, for example qualified meetings, pilot customers or paid match fees generated directly through the candidate’s work. Success-fee-based commission is not part of the initial role.

If the collaboration works well and RoboConnect secures revenue, funding or another commercial basis, a paid commercial role may become possible later.

What you can gain

You will get practical experience with:

  • B2B sales in a startup

  • industrial customer development

  • lead generation and outreach

  • CRM and sales pipeline work

  • customer interviews and needs clarification

  • positioning an early-stage AI/B2B platform

  • founder-led sales

  • commercial testing before scale-up

This is a good opportunity for someone who wants real market experience and is willing to help build something from an early stage.

How to apply

Please include:

  • An application letter, 1 A4 page

  • CV

For more information or questions please contact us at elisabet@roboconnect.no or phone number +47 99791299

Perks and benefits

This job comes with several perks and benefits

Social gatherings
Social gatherings

Flexible working hours
Flexible working hours

Work life balance
Work life balance

Working at
RoboConnect

1. Short description RoboConnect is developing an independent, AI-supported platform that helps industrial companies turn tacit and fragmented process knowledge into a clear, decision-relevant automation case — before supplier dialogue begins. 2. The problem Many industrial companies know they need to automate, but struggle to define what should be automated, what is causing the problem and whether the process is ready for investment. The people closest to production often understand the process well, but this knowledge may be spread across operators, engineers and management, poorly documented or mixed with assumptions and missing data. The customer may therefore approach the market with an unclear problem description and incomplete information. System integrators then have to reconstruct the customer’s process understanding and collect missing data before a meaningful solution dialogue can begin. This creates uncertainty, longer clarification phases, weak or difficult-to-compare proposals and projects that stall early. The core problem is not a lack of technology or suppliers. It is that the knowledge needed to make a good early automation decision is often tacit, fragmented and difficult to transfer. 3. The solution RoboConnect starts by understanding the customer’s process, challenges and actual needs. The RoboConnect AI Advisor conducts a guided professional conversation that helps the company describe how production works today, what it wants to improve, which constraints matter and what information is still missing. The AI Advisor brings together information from different parts of the organisation, separates facts from assumptions and uncertainty, identifies knowledge gaps and risks, and turns unclear issues into practical next actions. The result is a shared and structured automation basis that can be developed into a supplier-ready project brief. Relevant projects can then be connected with suitable system integrators, technology suppliers and R&D environments. This gives the customer greater decision confidence and solution providers a better starting point. RoboConnect is not building a generic chatbot. The platform combines a domain-specific workflow, structured project data and knowledge from industrial cases, expert interviews and feedback from customers and automation partners. Over time, this strengthens clarification, project maturation and matching. The first focused area is welding automation and high-mix, low-volume manufacturing. The longer-term ambition is to expand across other automation categories and build a Nordic platform for early-stage automation clarification and matching. 4. Business model and commercial opportunity RoboConnect creates value on both sides of the market. Industrial companies receive a clearer and safer starting point, while automation partners gain access to better-qualified customer opportunities. The current model is based mainly on supplier-side revenue through fees for qualified matches and successful projects. Future revenue streams may include paid AI-assisted readiness reports, supplier subscriptions, premium access and category-specific products. The model is now being validated through pilots and early customer projects. Norway is the validation market, with Sweden as the first intended scale-up market. 5. Why I started RoboConnect The motivation came from repeated conversations with industrial companies, automation experts and system integrators. I saw that many projects became uncertain long before technology was selected. Companies needed a more independent and structured way to understand their own situation before entering a supplier-led process. With a background in research, data analysis and complex problem structuring, combined with further training in programming, databases and AI, I founded RoboConnect to bridge the gap between industrial process knowledge and automation delivery.

Read more about RoboConnect

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