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Ok, let's try a different angle. Here is their leadership team: https://www.makenacap.com/the-firm/the-team/ Does any of these guys have a strong reputation on the Street?
Well condaleezza rice is on the their board of directors (former secretary of state) hah. They manage Stanfords endowment so yes they are reputable and have a sizeable AUM but I'm not sure how diverse their client base actually is.
Two of my friends worked there. One of them didn't like it because the shop was supposedly slow paced and comp upside wasn't high. Another friend currently works there and likes it.
Very helpful! Could you elaborate on how this shop is seen in terms of, for a lack of a better word, prestige / exit opps? I.e., your friends who worked there (in front office / investment roles, I assume), what was their alternative / previous background (former BB IBD analysts who could also recruit for MM PE/HF and chose this place vs. guys with mediocre background)?
I'm going to leave out a lot of details and keep their IDs anonymous to protect my friends' privacy.
The friend that didn't like Makena had a very nontraditional background. Out of undergrad the friend worked for a family office in an investment analyst type role. I'm not sure how he/she got hooked up with Makena. It certainly wasn't because he/she came from a prestigious firm. He/she left Makena, no idea what he/she is doing now, I know he/she had a few startup ideas which seemed to have nothing to do with their experience at Makena.
The other friend came from another investment firm but in a non front office type role. I would say that the firm he/she came from before Makena isn't particularly well known or prestigious. However, he/she seemed to like Makena and returned there after completing a MBA program.
My impression of Makena is its a great shop if you want to work on the endowment/pension side of investment management. Exit opportunities would probably be limited to working for an endowment or pension, or possibly moving to a consultant such as Cambridge Associates. I don't think moving to a hedge fund or long-only type role would be that easy. As you probably know, the lifestyle on the pension/endowment side of the IM is awesome, though comp tends to be lower.
Thanks, once again, very helpful.
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