Microsoft

Role: Business Development Manager

Microsoft Corporation | May 2025 – August 2025 (Summer MBA Internship)
Location: Redmond, Washington, United States

In May 2025, Nthanda Manduwi joined Microsoft Corporation as a Business Development Manager Intern with the Xbox (ID@Xbox) team, bringing her diverse background in economic policy, entrepreneurship, innovation ecosystems, and youth skills development into the heart of the global tech industry.

This role marked a significant step in her evolving career — from public sector policy analyst to entrepreneur and ecosystem builder, and now to the private sector technology space, where she aimed to explore the intersection of technology, economic empowerment, and creative industries.

With her deep commitment to building bridges between Africa’s creative and innovation ecosystems and global technology leaders, Nthanda hoped to use this opportunity, as she worked with the Xbox Team that supports Independent Developers not just to learn, but to advocate for inclusive innovation and strategic partnerships that benefit underrepresented markets and creators.

Key Duties:

Support strategic business development initiatives across key Xbox partnerships, contributing to the identification, evaluation, and execution of new business opportunities that align with Microsoft’s global entertainment and gaming strategy.
Collaborate cross-functionally with product teams, marketing, and finance to assess partnership opportunities and provide data-driven insights to inform decision-making.
Conduct market analysis, competitive research, and partner assessments to support the development of high-impact business proposals and presentations.
Assist in negotiations and relationship management with external partners, ensuring alignment with Microsoft’s strategic priorities and partner value creation.
Contribute to internal reporting, performance tracking, and the development of frameworks to evaluate the success of partnerships.
Engage in ongoing learning through Microsoft’s internal programs to deepen knowledge of technology ecosystems, emerging trends, and the evolving role of gaming within broader digital transformation initiatives.

Personal Aspirations:

Leverage this internship to bridge her experience in public sector policy, entrepreneurship, and innovation ecosystems into the global technology space, driving meaningful collaborations between African innovation ecosystems and global tech leaders.
Gain practical experience in corporate strategy and partner management within a Fortune 100 technology company, with a particular focus on understanding how large corporations evaluate risk, innovation, and global expansion opportunities.
Develop a deeper understanding of the intersection between technology, entertainment, and economic development, and explore how gaming, digital skills development, and creative industries can unlock new opportunities for African youth.
Use the experience to inform and refine the model for Kwathu Kollective’s innovation programs, ensuring alignment between the skills African youth are developing and the competencies global employers are seeking.
Build a professional network within Microsoft and across the broader U.S. tech and creative ecosystems, forging partnerships that could benefit African innovators and creative entrepreneurs.
Contribute her voice and perspective as an African economist and policy analyst, bringing insights into how global tech companies can play a more intentional role in supporting sustainable development, digital inclusion, and youth empowerment across emerging markets.

Achievements:

Led the development of two Power BI dashboards tracking 140+ global titles within the ID@Xbox portfolio, automating data flows from CRM systems and enabling faster, data-driven decision-making across developer acceleration teams.
Mapped underserved gaming markets across Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, delivering insights that informed Xbox’s global expansion strategy.
Streamlined internal review processes by integrating title-level analytics, reducing manual reporting time and improving efficiency for senior leadership reviews.
Validated Q2 Corporation’s business model by analyzing the performance of simulation-style games, confirming the viability of applying gaming systems to AgTech models.
Collaborated with cross-functional teams (engineering, strategy, marketing) to align developer ecosystem growth initiatives with broader corporate priorities at Microsoft.
Strengthened Xbox’s inclusion agenda by highlighting opportunities for African game developers and creative entrepreneurs to access global platforms.