Biotech advice?

Hey all, I have an interview coming up with a biotech-focused bank. I'm a run-of-the-mill finance student with no scientific background. I found an RBC biotech primer and read that. If you were in my shoes and had a week to prepare, what would you do to learn about the biotech space really well? I understand that reviewing recent news, real company filings, and building a model is the best teacher. To that point, what are some news sources that you all recommend, companies that you recommend looking at for filings/potentially building a model to gain a lot of insight, or other primers/resources that are helpful? Thanks!

8 Comments
 

Best thing out there would be to know the major therapeutic areas, blockbuster drugs, large cap pharma /portfolio (R&D days or investor days are great), recent data catalysts and upcoming ones, up and coming mid-cap players, etc. 

Cowen has a therapeutics report they publish on every therapeutic area. It is a great way to learn the history and promising drugs in the pipelines of biotechs. 

 

Skim The Pharmagellan Guide to Analyzing Biotech Clinical Trials (or ask ChatGPT to summarize) to learn more about biotech valuation. You can find a PDF online. Beyond that, know the basic clinical and commercial drivers, such as small molecules vs biologics, generics, and biosimilars, along with the clinical trial process and how exclusivity through patents and orphan drug designation works.  

The main thing is to know the valuation and be able to speak on a therapeutic area or company well.

 

Depends on the firm, but I interviewed at a biotech EB SA position and would not have been able to pass the tech rounds without knowing how to build a revenue build for a clinical-stage biotech. Maybe for less-competitive firms you can skip, but it's worth the 2 hours it takes to read the first half if you're serious

 

Unde ad tempore natus in et quia officiis repudiandae. Tenetur debitis praesentium ut. Eos et modi aut dolorem placeat nam. Culpa autem dicta at corporis mollitia sed ut.

Et adipisci ut totam repudiandae voluptas. Dolor perferendis porro nulla culpa.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”