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Focused on energy, infrastructure, and industrials. Now focusing on hardtech/drones for asset-heavy industries
ex-BCG 7-year stint in Texas. Worked globally deploying strategy and cost transformations
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I am a finance and accounting professional from South Africa with experience spanning alternative investments, fund accounting, audit, investment banking research, consulting, statistics, and higher education. I hold a Bachelor of Business Science in Finance with Accounting from the University of Cape Town, with additional studies in applied statistics and mathematics.
Throughout my career, I have worked across financial services, research, teaching, and advisory roles, including experience in alternative investments and exposure to investment banking, consulting, and audit. Beyond my professional work, I have been actively involved in mentoring, leadership development, volunteer initiatives, and international programs.
I am currently completing the ACCA qualification and pursuing structured audit training as I continue building expertise in finance, accounting, investments, and business strategy. My interests include financial services, leadership, global markets, analytics, and helping others develop their careers.
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Devon Kessler is a dynamic transaction advisor and innovation strategist with a proven track record of bridging the gap between complex financial operations and cutting-edge technical product creation. Throughout his career, he has specialized in driving strategic growth, building "zero-to-one" foundational infrastructure, and leading high-impact cross-functional teams across the M&A and corporate innovation landscapes.
Currently, Devon serves as the Transaction Advisor and Employee #2 at **Wisable**, a D. E. Shaw Venture Studio portfolio company. In this role, he has been instrumental in co-founding and scaling a tech-enabled M&A platform, establishing foundational go-to-market strategies, and managing the end-to-end deal origination funnel. Partnering directly with the Head of Product, Devon translates deal team requirements into proprietary, AI-powered valuation and underwriting software, while simultaneously advising business founders on complex financial performance, margins, and M&A viability.
Prior to joining Wisable, Devon was an Innovation Consultant at **Ignition (a KPMG Company)**, where he managed a portfolio of 18 "Signature Experiences" representing over $1B+ in revenue. He regularly facilitated executive workshops with C-suite leaders and private equity/venture capital funds to assess portfolio companies and unlock value creation using human-centered design frameworks. He also served on the Strategic Intelligence team, spearheading the integration of generative AI capabilities into client offerings.
Devon began his consulting career at **PwC**, moving from a Financial Services Management Consultant to a Change and Innovation Consultant. At PwC, he established the firm's Immersive Services practice to introduce AR/VR solutions to hundreds of clients, generated $50.4M in additional revenue through relationship cultivation, and co-led the New York LGBT Network of over 800 members. His strategic facilitation for major entertainment and tech enterprises successfully enabled organizational transformations resulting in $5B in operating expense savings. His foundational finance experience also includes roles as an M&A Investment Banking Analyst at ONEtoONE Corporate Finance and Oberon Securities.
Devon holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations with a minor in Business from Cornell University.
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Executive, investor and capital markets specialist with 25+ years of experience, currently leading the Asset Management business for a unit of Latin America’s largest private financial institution. Have consistently led teams to achieve challenging objectives, generated alpha on the Buy-Side, earned top honors as a Sell-side Strategist/Analyst, conducted M&A and Private Equity transactions across multiple industries. Research initiatives throughout the past two decades have led to in-depth knowledge of niche global markets. The entrepreneurial nature of these roles has helped advance a broader set of commercial and business development skills. Advocate for responsible investing and frequent community volunteer.
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Help with equity analysis an research, financial analysis - advanced. Qualified CFA and Chartered Accountant. 20 years in financial services spanning audit and accounting, sell side and buyside research.
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- Investment Analyst at biotech specialist hedge fund
- Clinical trial R&D-focused due diligence in small to mid cap public equities
- MD/PhD from Top 10 medical school
- BS in Biology/Statistics from Top 10 undergraduate
- Previous Investment Analyst at biotech specialist hedge fund
- Previous Vice President in biotech equity research at bulge bracket bank
- ***Will only consider mentees with science/medical backgrounds (undergrad or graduate degrees are fine) interested in pursuing life sciences investing as my experience is of little value to those pursuing other sectors***
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- Currently part of the M&A and investments team at TAQA in Abu Dhabi, with prior experience at William Blair / BDA Partners, ReNew Power, Thryve.Earth, and growth-stage platforms.
- Cross-border M&A, corporate development, and climate/project finance professional with 8+ years of experience across investment banking, strategic M&A, fundraising, infrastructure, renewable energy, carbon finance, and corporate strategy.
- Closed / worked on AED 3.3B+ of cross-border M&A, fundraising, project finance, and climate-financing transactions across India, US, GCC, Europe, Singapore, Indonesia, and other global markets.
- Transaction experience spans private equity exits, strategic acquisitions, growth capital raises, project finance, offtake structures, and climate-finance initiatives across India, the GCC, Europe, Singapore, Indonesia, and other global markets.
- Mentorship focus areas include investment banking, corporate development, private equity / growth investing, tech M&A, infrastructure finance, climate finance, and transaction advisory.
- CFA Charterholder, MBA in Finance & Strategy from IIM Indore
- Happy to mentor candidates on investment banking, corporate development, financial modelling, deal execution, resume positioning, interview preparation, and career transitions into finance / M&A roles or in the GCC region.
- Also happy to help mentees sharpen their resume, articulate deal experience, prepare for finance interviews, and understand how real transactions are originated, evaluated, diligenced, and executed.
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A human being with nearly 3 decades in the financial markets leading, following and advising investors on their investments.
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Private Banking and Investment Advisory professional with 9+ years of experience across Switzerland and Spain, holding both the CFA and CIPM certifications.
Currently a Portfolio Manager in Madrid, where I relocated to support the launch and development of the local office, advising international HNWI and UHNWI clients on multi-asset portfolio construction and strategic asset allocation. Strong client-facing profile with direct involvement in investment meetings, portfolio reviews, and the delivery of tailored wealth management solutions. Experienced in cross-border collaboration with teams in France, Switzerland, and the UK, combining investment expertise with a strong understanding of risk, governance, and regulatory frameworks.
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Software PE and Growth associate previous software IB. Passion for helping individuals break into the industry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can’t find an answer? Please send an email to [email protected]
The WSO mentor service runs at a very slight profit (~5-10% net margin) in order to help motivate amazing professionals to provide great (free) advice in the forums (many mentors have green "mentor" buttons next to their usernames) which strengthens the entire WSO community. Luckily, there is a surprising number of elite professionals within the WSO community that love giving back to motivated candidates. We also recently automated the mentor matching with an algo that helps reduce the manual work needed on the backend should a requested mentor not be available. Prices range from as low as $57 up to $997 depending on the package you purchase and the mentor you select. Given the success of our service and the number of repeat clients we have, we know that we can afford to run on thin profit margins and serve thousands of applicants. We also know that many of you will follow the advice of our mentors and invest in additional courses and/or services from WSO.
After checking out, your request will immediately be sent to the mentor you selected. You will be expected to fill our some basic information (location, industry preference, etc) along with upload a Word version of your resume in order to help the mentor decide if they feel like they are a great match. As soon as they accept (usually within ~9-12 hours), an email will be sent making an introduction. Your mentor will introduce him/herself and then proceed to review your current resume and/or offer times when you can connect for a mentor session. Over the following days, you will schedule a time that is mutually convenient for you initial phone call to go over what you need help with (mock interview, career consultation and/or both). If you would like to continue with this mentor, you can schedule more hours anywhere from 1 hour to 3+ hours with him/her over the following weeks & months.
Typically the match happens within 12hrs. If your preferred mentor has not responded within 9 hours or they indicate they can't take you on as a mentor, we will notify other top mentors that have the most in common with the mentor you selected (based on our matching algo). These backup mentors will indicate to you if they are available and you have the choice to move forward with one of them, get a refund or wait longer for your preferred mentor. If for whatever reason we cannot match you in time and/or there are no mentors that are available that you'd like to work with, we will refund your purchase in full, no questions asked.
We have an incredible team of 1,000+ dedicated mentors across top firms all around the world. Our #1 goal is to make sure you are placed in the hands of the most competent and detail-oriented professional in your specific target industry. This coupled with our strict process ensures a smooth and thorough experience. Why do we use actual professionals? The answer is simple: they are the ones ACTUALLY SCREENING APPLICATIONS for their own firms! They know what it takes to make it out of the trash pile and into the interview pile. On top of this, since we have been doing mentor sessions for over a decade across THOUSANDS of clients, we are able to immediately identify a top mentor and feed them more clients to ensure happy customers like you (due to our strict screening process). Our team includes investment bankers at all the top bulge brackets and elite boutique banks as well as private equity, hedge fund and VC professionals at the most prestigious funds. We also have reviewers at the top management consulting firms in the world, elite prop trading firms, top corporate finance roles as well as other related finance careers.
Usually these are all self-limiting beliefs, but if you're unsure if we are a good match for you, please send us a quick email to [email protected] and we can send over some bios if we think there might be a potential good match for you.
Too Young / Too Inexperienced: We do NOT recommend our mentor service until you at least have at least some relevant WORK experience that we can leverage. For the young clients out there, this means an internship, ideally in your target or related industry. If you are still in high school, it is unlikely that you have this experience. The earliest we'd recommend doing a mentor session is early freshman or early sophomore year as you prepare for summer internship recruiting. If you have no relevant experience then it probably doesn't make sense to sign up for the service. Our mentors are amazing, but they aren't magicians. If you tell us you really want to be in Investment Banking or Private Equity (for example) and everything in your background points to law or medicine, it's going to be an uphill battle. On the other hand, if you have unrelated experience but you have started the transition process by taking relevant classes and joining relevant clubs and associations, we'd love to work with you. You may not be the most competitive candidate, but we will highlight the most relevant education and functions at your current job that would translate well across industries.
Too Old / Too Experienced: We DO recommend our mentor service for more experienced professionals that are looking to make a transition or have an interview coming up. We have several very senior mentors that can answer the tough questions and make sure you are up to date on the latest trends in your target industry. However, before you move forward, we encourage you to give yourself an honest assessment. If you are looking to make the transition and have not made any steps outside of considering this mentor program, you probably aren't ready. If you've taken steps (education, new degrees, courses, etc) and feel like you're ready, we're on board and eager to help!
Yes, but if you have a negative attitude you are unlikely to have success. If you think a mentor session is an automatic referral, please don't bother to hire us.
Yes, our mentors often do refer our clients for open positions at their firms (over 20%), however, this should not be asked of our mentors to avoid a conflict of interest and it should not be expected as part of the service. It is up to you to impress the mentor if this is your goal, however, we believe you can gain much more out of the experience by being honest about your weaknesses and concerns with the mentor so there can be an open dialogue on how to improve your chances.
The only discounts are for larger packages and more hours purchased at once. This is an incredibly labor intensive 1-on-1 service using finance professionals that typically make well over $200/hr and are doing this primarily to give back.
This is a personal question and the answer is naturally subjective. If you are serious about landing a job in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, trading, asset management, management consulting or any other competitive industry, it's more than likely that the answer to that question is a resounding "YES".
Career services advisers at your school are not screening applications for interviews...neither are your classmates. If you do happen to have a friend in the industry, are they going to take the hours necessary to give you a realistic mock interview? Odds are that their time is limited outside the office and if they do give you some guidance, it won't be as thorough as our expert mentors. If you look at the competitive nature of recruiting nowadays, why would leave your application up to chance when many of these jobs pay well over $100,000?
Join the 1,000+ candidates just like you who have already used the WSO Mentor Service
If you’re reading this, you’re here for a reason: because you want to be one of the very few who gets an an elite job and because you need help doing it. The choice really is yours. And your opportunity really is limited.
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