Houlihan Capital???

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed for internship with Houlihan Capital. Not to be confused with Houlihan Lokey.Here's a link to their website: http://www.houlihan.com/. The president is Andrew Smith, formerly of Houlihan Lokey. Anyone know anything about this firm? I know Houlihan Lokey and would have been all over that, but this is a smaller (a way smaller!) shop, and an associate there said the NYC office only had about 50 people so far. Plus it was odd, it was an in-semester paid internship, with a potential offer for SA.

21 Comments
 

this firm used to be called houlihan smith. dunno what happened, but it was founded by houlihan lokey co-founder richard houlihan a long long time ago shortly after he founded (and left) houlihan lokey (maybe 30 years ago). from what i understand, it does fairness opinions and stuff. i don't think andrew smith is ex-houlihan though.

it's not houlihan lokey. completely different firm, but it does have a very similar logo and a website that looks very similar to the old houlihan lokey site... core business is the same as houlihan's maybe 20 years ago.

 

Houlihan Capital is not the same company... Just to set the record straight. Houlihan Capital does not have, nor had, any affiliation with HS. The HS links posted by whateveritakes are in no way connected with them or its managers. The name was purchased by several seasoned executives and they are an excellent Strategic Financial Advisory and Investment Banking firm.

Their vision is to be the world’s premier superboutique professional services firm. They provide portfolio valuation services, transaction opinions and a wide variety of consulting services through their Strategic Financial Advisory group, as well as sell side advisory, private placement, capital raises and secondary market advisory services through our Investment Banking team.

 
SettingtherecordstraightHoulihan Capital is not the same company... Just to set the record straight. Houlihan Capital does not have, nor had, any affiliation with HS. The HS links posted by whateveritakes are in no way connected with them or its managers. The name was purchased by several seasoned executives and they are an excellent Strategic Financial Advisory and Investment Banking firm.

Their vision is to be the world’s premier superboutique professional services firm. They provide portfolio valuation services, transaction opinions and a wide variety of consulting services through their Strategic Financial Advisory group, as well as sell side advisory, private placement, capital raises and secondary market advisory services through our Investment Banking team.

i take it you work there..?

 
SettingtherecordstraightHoulihan Capital is not the same company... Just to set the record straight. Houlihan Capital does not have, nor had, any affiliation with HS. The HS links posted by whateveritakes are in no way connected with them or its managers. The name was purchased by several seasoned executives and they are an excellent Strategic Financial Advisory and Investment Banking firm.

Their vision is to be the world’s premier superboutique professional services firm. They provide portfolio valuation services, transaction opinions and a wide variety of consulting services through their Strategic Financial Advisory group, as well as sell side advisory, private placement, capital raises and secondary market advisory services through our Investment Banking team.

I believe Houlihan Capital IS the new entity Andy Smith from Houlihan Smith established. When the firm split back in 2010, some of them went to Houlihan Capital. Yep, same guys.

 

^ Perhaps there was never an official/legal affiliation between the two, but the Houlihan Capital leadership includes former Houlihan Smith leadership. Looks like you guys have gone to great lengths to erase that little bit of history (HS website is gone, HS is left out of the bios of guys that came from there, etc.).

Looking at the Executives page of Houlihan Capital, I know at least one of those guys came from Houlihan Smith; I'm guessing it's more substantial than that.

 
Best Response

By the way, I was referring specifically to A. Smith. His name is still on the Houlihan Smith Glassdoor page, and a CrunchBase article on Houlihan Smith. Hilariously, the Wikipedia page on Houlihan Smith says "Houlihan Capital" right above the info box on the right-hand side of the page.

I have to ask. It is pretty well-known that Houlihan Smith had a horrible reputation, whether justified or not. Why would you start another firm with the name "Houlihan" in it, with the President having the last name Smith? Did they not anticipate people making the connection?

HS and HC were both founded in 1996, HC didn't have a website until a few months after HS's lawsuit failure, both have co-founders with the same name and biography, both are Chicago-based...coincidence?

 
PinnacleManI mean he did start his own firm.
Don't be naive. I could pool together $100,000 with some friends and call it a hedge fund. Does that make me a stellar banker?
 

I'd be careful with this company, particularly on the Valuation & Opinions side. Upper Management will often promise to 'play ball' with respect to giving you the Business/Security valuation you want, not the unbiased opinion you need. While some on the outer bounds of ethical responsibility will hire them, those who do play by the rules are subject to having their valuation thrown out by the audit review team, courts, or government regulators because it is often obviously apparent to the reviewer what the valuation appraiser is up to. Proceed at your own risk with these guys.

 

Congrats.

Disclaimer for the Kids: Any forward-looking statements are solely for informational purposes and cannot be taken as investment advice. Consult your moms before deciding where to invest.
 

Facilis eum amet est nesciunt. Sequi accusantium qui eum rem. Quia est atque eligendi eaque reiciendis aut. Pariatur cumque nostrum molestiae sit velit saepe ipsam autem. Aut sint doloribus officiis impedit illo sint. Minus fuga dolorem numquam est illum accusamus totam.

Omnis impedit culpa ut reiciendis. Accusantium doloribus harum sequi mollitia quae doloremque aspernatur. Quia et enim similique. Veniam perferendis voluptates quis ratione iusto quis quo. Mollitia suscipit esse atque et et ipsa exercitationem vel. Optio animi distinctio ut labore vero aliquid. Doloremque voluptatem voluptas illo non fugit error odit.

 

Sunt maxime ut nesciunt iure. Placeat ut nemo omnis rerum praesentium. Et aut consequatur quis perspiciatis. Dicta est illo dolore veniam magnam. Accusamus qui odio quas natus harum. Autem quia aliquam nihil.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

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...”