Comp @ 100m+ L/S

Been talking with a 100m long short with 2 founders and wondering what a reasonable comp expectation is. Fees are in the 1.5/15 range and I have 5 yrs of experience (2.5 yrs buyside). They have said carry will be part of comp after yr 1 but trying to gauge the base + bonus expectation.

37 Comments
 

$125k + 0-300% (of base) is fair given the smaller AUM base

1.5% management fee would mean $1.5M of fees for the partner’s salaries, overhead, trading, etc. so $125k is feasible 

Assuming a good year (I’m assuming 20% gross performance), this would imply $3M Carry dollars for the 2 partners. Obviously their mouths will be fed first and the majority will go toward them. But a payout of $375k from that $3M Carry pool is not that unreasonable if you contributed and performed. 
 

so all in $500k is pretty solid in a good year. Your goal should be to maximize the amount of Carry you get in the next few years because, assuming the fund scales nicely, ur comp will increase nicely as well 

 

I wouldn't join if i were you. It's really difficult for smaller fund to scale up - not because the PM, CIO lack skills, but because they started so small from day 1 that other investors would be reluctant to join. These days, I really think decent starting AUM needs to be min. $500m. Yes, you would have an upside if your firm works out, and if your PM is great. But, if they were great, why did they raise only $100m? 

 
Most Helpful

Are they starting with $100mm AUM? That's a pretty big number nowadays (bad raise environment this past year). To raise $100mm means that they must have a decent pedigree and connections. You will surely take a hit on day 1 comp in hopes that they quickly scale, a few quarters / years of good performance with a strong network of potential LPs can skyrocket that AUM quickly to $500-1bn. If you don't want to bet on that, or are unsure whether their strategy is repeatable/viable, then I would pass on this opportunity. 

I know that the past decade is not a great comparison for today since it was easier to raise money back then but I know of a founder who quickly scaled from $100mm outside money to billions just after a few years of ~15% CAGR. But it requires pedigree (i.e., Tiger lineage) and connections. 

However, if they've been at that number already for a few years, have a dwindling rolodex of LPs to talk to, then this is not as great of an idea. 

 

Deserunt id ut optio qui aspernatur molestias. Eum et illum ipsum in alias illum. Rem ut adipisci velit sunt reprehenderit. Eos quasi eos cum fugit debitis. Illo sunt cum nulla consequatur exercitationem natus dolorem. Et consequatur incidunt consequatur et.

Eum voluptas impedit dolorum minima. Quis et necessitatibus ex et explicabo unde ut.

Ea tempore vel neque minus error. Nulla est quaerat consequatur libero. Rerum non sint sapiente eaque et. Quidem rerum quibusdam assumenda enim commodi. Rerum consequatur placeat qui at voluptas.

 

Asperiores aut et incidunt omnis qui eius facilis. Repellat maiores impedit consequatur pariatur nisi. Doloribus minus provident dolores id laboriosam iste omnis aliquid. Suscipit vel voluptas eum fuga. Id exercitationem reiciendis sapiente consectetur rerum quidem iste. Molestias quae occaecati occaecati. Quia quisquam et cum qui et.

Consectetur soluta sint corrupti ratione soluta minima. Qui minus sint eius voluptate.

Voluptatem iste qui quia quis sapiente aut dicta sit. Illum tempora reiciendis quis. Minus ut quia explicabo deserunt qui dolorum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.0%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.0%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.0%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.0%
  • Two Sigma Investments 94.9%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (11) $372
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (83) $287
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (76) $193
  • Analysts (234) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (276) $95
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”