Activist funds are basically PEs - you're not a true hedge funder

mtnmaster1

#1 What would you recommend to look out for interview / due diligence process to identify funds like this. Usually asking about opportunities to learn/ growth can be dangerous as you don't want to give off impression that you need to be hand held, but we all want mentorship in this industry and at the same time have to give off impression that we need no help and can contribute a ton of value day 1 (obviously I'm not saying I phrase it like this but you get the idea). Have another round coming up with a somewhat specialized activist fund and want to make sure I diligence them properly. 

#2  I come from a very non-traditional background, but have gotten a few interview shots at larger "prestigious" funds thanks to networking. One issue I ran into is that I have gotten great feedback (I know you can't always trust the feedback, but I think I am nailing a lot of this stuff), but at the end of the day, whether it be for marketing purposes or other issues, it seems like the superiors struggle to be open to adding someone who didn't do GS/JPM + APO/BX/etc. prior to the fund. I asked for candid feedback and it has only been: "we need someone with more experience in this sector, but we think your capabilities, cultural fit, and investment philosophy etc. were great." or another time it was "I have no doubt you would add value to our team after a few months, but we need someone plug and play who knows our names intimately on day 1". 

I know I won't get a chance at viking ever, but any tips on overcoming the non-traditional path stigma? 

On the first point - nice part about activist funds is that they have to be a bit more public than say a L/S fund of the same size since they often run campaigns.  There is usually more reporting on investments / positions from the activist side than there is on the L/S side.  Lazard puts out a decent deck and there are a few other sources that report on campaigns.   

On the second point, looked at your post history, its great that you are getting interviews but realistically I don't think its a prestigious firm issue and and moreso is an experience doesn't really check the boxes of what they typically are looking for.  If you are coming from a LO / RIA background, its not like you are getting dinged cause you did IB / PE at smaller firms for example Blair and then at Court Square vs. GS / BX.   It feels more that you are getting dinged because they aren't sure that your background can really hit the ground running without that prototypical background.  You obviously are interesting enough to them to use investment team time to interview you so would think about how you communicate your ability to do the job as that is likely where they aren't getting conviction in your abilities.