Late 20’s moving from Corporate Advisory/Finance to Investment Banking - the strategy

Hi all,

Looking for some advice… 

I have carved out a few really strong years in a small Corporate Advisory firm with a good reputation in Australia providing predominantly transaction advisory services, however it is very Corporate Finance focused, consultant-esque, working in-house on clients actively divestment assisting with their internal M&A and FP&A functions to provide strategy and resources for growth and assist them through the divestment process, often taking the bits of the process that would otherwise disrupt their BAU, think building 5-10 year plans/models, running the internal VDD, etc. We don’t do Lead Advisory, therefore we charge hourly rates. No success fees on any deals we work on.

Overall, I have been fortunate to buildup up my skills in three statement modeling and DCFs over the journey on some iconic deals, often working closely with the investment bankers such as UBS, and Greenhill.

However, I kept asking myself how can I get on that side of the deal… basically more reward for effort…

I have all the relevant education to match that of an IB analyst (maybe those of the lesser known boutiques) and have just started to dip my toe into the IB world, networking and connecting with recruiters..

Overall, I have the skills but no brand behind me, however my resume paints a good picture and story about how my skills are highly transferrable to IB analyst/associates.

I have got to the final round with a relatively new IB boutique with 3x ex-Luminis/Greenhill partners with only about 8 people in the firm. They are chaired by a very iconic AU businessman with a big presence in VC. Their deal flow looks like they bat above their weight.

Given I am a lateral, and coming from consulting… Should I seriously be considering this as a good entry to a niche M&A firm? Learn as much as possible then use that to springboard later down the track to a 2nd tier EBB if possible? 
 

I am worried my exit opportunities will be limited going to such a new and small boutique.. but I don’t think I would get into an EBB or 2nd tier anyway.. and it has to be a better opportunity than where I am currently at (as we don’t get any street cred for the deal support we provide). Also, the recruiter is suggesting I can nearly 2x my income.. 

The alternative, is I wait, keep networking, and hope an opportunity with a stronger branded IB boutique pops up?

Whats everyone's thoughts???