How do I break into corp development?

Hello Monkeys; this is my first post on wso so go easy on me.

Background: Top UK finance undergrad/GPA 3.7+; 3 years biz dev exp in Silicon Valley (two startups; both focused on AI & ML); Master in Accounting w/ focus on finance @ top 3 US school (GPA 3.7+); just started a Corp Finance position @ F50 tech company in Silicon Valley; salary in the range of US 110k-130k.

What do I need to do to break into Corp Development? Outside of IB, which are other positions I should consider which would lead to the best potential payoff? I'm not keen on doing an MBA any time soon given I just did a master program. Any other qualifications I should add to the bag?

7 Comments
 

Hi Essen24, check out these resources:

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  • Why corporate banking instead of investment banking? Route To Investment Banking For An Accounting Major How Do I Get Into Private Equity? Interested in ... What Do Corporate Bankers Do?- Corporate Banking Definition It is the corporate banker's job ... a position at a boutique. So how do you go about securing an internship? Most are secured through networ
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  • Corporate Strategy Career Path shared: Some finance leadership development programs can be a good way into corporate strategy within and ... looking into FLDP programs as being a back-up. How do FLDP programs prepare for strategy careers (if at ... Hey guys, My goal is to eventually get into a corporate strategy role. Everyone I've talked ...
  • Breaking into Corporate Development from Non-Traditional Backgrounds? Development down the road. Is it possible to break in from a Corporate Banking background? I do not want to go ... down the road from Corporate Banking? Any suggestions on a career path into Corporate Banking would be ... more long term and Corporate Development or Corporate Strategy looks very interesting, w
  • More suggestions...

Hope that helps.

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

Hey man! I did take the IB to Corp Dev route so take what i say for a grain of salt. I think you really need to just apply to positions - your degrees will likely get you some interviews for Analyst positions (think 60-100k salary range). If you are shooting for an associate position id say you need some M&A transaction experience (not necessarily IB). Hope this helps and best of luck!

 

New to WSO and know this is an older post, but totally agree on the IB route. It's the route I took. I started at a middle-market software bank before moving to corporate development. Was originally thinking I'd do PE or VC, but have loved my time in CD. Having said that, I'm ready for a move.

 

You are currently in corp fin at a large tech company. Honestly, one of the best ways to get into corp dev is to just lateral at your current place. There is substantial merit to internal laterals for corp dev hiring. While tech does not have as... "bespoke" as say a utility or bank does, industry experience is useful, and knowledge of your own company is a plus. 

 

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