Best places to be a corp dev associate

Curious if there are specific companies that are uniquely good for someone looking for corp dev experience. I'm sure that FAANG and MSFT and other tech companies are always acquiring small competitors, but are there any other companies that are really strong in these areas?

If not, are there any signs that signal the company is primed for lot of acquisitions? I imagine this activity is heavily dictated by the company's financial position, industry trends/position, and the desires of the CFO/CEO. This can be difficult to judge without a decent amount of networking, and it can change with management turnover. Any thoughts? 

5 Comments
 
I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
Most Helpful

From a corporate development perspective, a ton of deal volume isn't necessarily a good thing which a different versus investment banking (focused on only fees). As a corporate development person, you want to pursue deals that that fit within your company's strategic/long term planning framework. So to answer your question, an ideal corporate development role is one where you are working under strong leadership e.g. CFO, CEO, etc.

 

Thanks for the reply, I'd never thought of it like that! At my bank, we receive bonuses directly tied to closed transactions, and generally "good" banks = more deals. I guess this is not the same in corp dev meaning the biggest draw should be quality of acquisitions, not quantity/size.

So I'd assume that, all things equal, a large/mid-size company in a hot industry with a strong track record of growth and good w/l balance is the ideal company for corp dev?

I had a call with a company that is PE owned and in a growing industry, and they were bragging about all the deals they've closed and how their sponsors were aggressive in add-ons (which they apparently work with corp dev group). Is this a good or bad sign in your opinion?

 

Ab voluptatem et et blanditiis tempore. Nihil exercitationem veniam impedit ratione. Qui est et qui aspernatur laborum qui libero. Nostrum nihil et reiciendis laborum corrupti animi.

Voluptatem et est culpa repellendus possimus est. Sunt consequatur enim dolores consequatur autem dolor et. Voluptatibus qui exercitationem aut. Molestiae occaecati delectus labore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”