Marketing Intern - Startup Accelerator Program
JOB DESCRIPTION: MARKETING INTERN - STARTUP ACCELERATOR PROGRAM
Background
Our Organization & Mission: Positively Groundfish is a young non-profit organization (501c6) that was incorporated in April 2018, but it represents a fishery that has been around for generations and that was once the economic and cultural backbone of coastal communities along the West Coast. The groundfish fishery faced ecological collapse and was declared a federal economic disaster in 2000, but thanks to comprehensive sustainability measures, has since experienced a remarkable recovery and is now considered “the ecological comeback story of the century” (quote: NOAA). However, our goal is to make it not just an environmental success but an economic one too, and help shift consumption to these more sustainable, healthy options.
Positively Groundfish was formed as a collaborative multi-stakeholder initiative by a collective of environmental non-profits, fishermen, seafood processors and academia that have partnered with a shared vision for a healthy and vibrant fishery. Positively Groundfish’s stated mission is to tell the positive story of sustainable underutilized West Coast Groundfish to cultivate public appreciation and support the long-term economic success of local fishing communities.
Therefore, PG has focused on outreach activity that a) drives consumer awareness and preference for these lesser-known local species, b) influences chefs and retailers to sell groundfish, and c) market research that supports more effective market development and communication. We have used sampling, storytelling, and education to raise species awareness and help connect American consumers to the source of their food and strengthen their connection to local communities. Utimately, we want to shift US food consumption toward more sustainable, local, and healthy products, and play our part in nudging the food system toward better supporting planetary and human health.
Our Fish: The term ‘groundfish’ refers to wild-caught finfish species that dwell near the bottom of the ocean, and include over 90 different species of rockfish, sole, flounder, lingcod, black cod, skate and thornyheads here on the West Coast. The West Coast groundfish fishery is considered abundant and sustainable: these species are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council and have “best choice” ratings from Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. Moreover, a comprehensive nutrient analysis we’ve recently commissioned, revealed that our key species have exceptionally great nutrient levels, putting them into “superfood” territory.
The Challenge: During the two decades it took for this wild fishery to recover, West Coast Groundfish species were essentially off-sale and all of their latent market demand vanished and shifted to other, mostly foreign species such as tilapia, while groundfish species were forgotten. Now we need to rebuild awareness, drive trial and distribution, and differentiate these lesser-known species in the minds of consumers. In essence, we need to ignite a new food trend for West Coast groundfish species.
This Accelerator Project: We are preparing to take our organization to its next evolutionary stage by developing an accelerator program. Our Catch+Create Accelerator program aims to a) entice and incentivize entrepreneurs to use West Coast groundfish species in packaged goods products, b) encourage product innovation into new formats, flavors and consumption occasions, and c) support these entrepreneurs with our collective expertise and resources from idea to market launch to increase their chances of success. We hope the program will generate some much-needed excitement and momentum for groundfish species, that these products will appeal to new consumer segments and grow seafood consumption, and ultimately, that it will grow the West Coast groundfish fishery both in terms of utilization and value.
Job Details
- You will work remotely. You are ideally located on the West Coast (WA, OR or CA). In-person collaboration may be possible if you are based in the Bay Area.
- You will work for 40hr/wk for 8-10 weeks during the summer months (we’re flexible on start times).
Your Responsibilities
You will work directly with the Executive Director as well as member organization and external partners to help develop our new groundfish CPG accelerator program. We’ll tailor your exact responsibilities to your strengths and interests, but they will generally sit in these 3 categories:
- Work with the Executive Director and delivery partners to develop program content, e.g., program materials, program logistics and organization, event planning.
- Develop marketing plans to attract more program applicants and relevant communication materials, e.g. our website and social media content, press coverage, outreach through partner organizations etc.
- Create a directory of external resources that could further support our start-up cohort during or after our program ends.
Qualifications
- You are ideally a senior in an undergraduate degree, a current grad student, or recently graduated from college.
- Ideally, you have already gained experience working in start-up environments, and/or in a marketing function. Bonus points if you have direct experience working for an accelerator or consumer packaged goods (CPG) company.
- You have an interest in driving toward more sustainable food systems; and/or in supporting start-ups.
- You are a creator, a maker, a doer.
- You are organized, self-motivated and able to get work done without close supervision.
- You have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, have a professional demeanor, and are comfortable picking up the phone to team members and external partners.