Non-Target Grad (6 Months Out), Started Advisory Firm... What Are My Chances?

TL;DR:
• 21-year-old non-target grad (finished in 3 years; got interested in IB late).
• IB internship + founded my own advisory practice post-grad.
• Sourced my own client and executing full pre-seed fundraising support.
• Took CFA Level I in November (awaiting results).
• VP of Investment Banking Society + President of Economics Honors Society.
• 6 months post-grad, consistent networking but no real traction.
• Currently working with my sourced client because it’s the only functional work I have.
• Applying to IB Analyst roles.

Hi all. I recently graduated in May from a non-target, finishing in 3 years instead of 4. Part of that was financial, and part of it was wanting to move faster academically and professionally. I didn’t get interested in banking until my spring semester of sophomore year. Because of that late start, I pushed hard: became VP of Finance of our Investment Banking Society, President of the Economics Honors Society, and active across multiple campus organizations. Got my SIE in August of 2024 and I also sat for CFA Level I this November and am awaiting the results.

On the experience side, I had a internship at a fractional CFO firm and I completed an IB internship at a LMM boutique firm after the fractional CFO internship. The group at the LMM firm was great, but deal flow was extremely limited during my time there — it was essentially just me and a VP running the show and the firm wasn’t in a position to bring on an analyst. 

A few months after graduating, and with no real traction elsewhere, I founded my own early-stage advisory practice to stay sharp while studying for the CFA. I sourced my own client and am handling a pre-seed fundraising process: operational model, 3-statement model, SAFE modeling, cap table, investor materials, one-pager, management presentation, market research, etc. It’s been valuable hands-on experience, but it’s also the only functional work I’ve had since graduating.

The advisory work I’m doing right now isn’t a large transaction in the traditional IB sense, but it’s made me realize that I genuinely enjoy the actual work. I like taking a model from zero to finished, shaping the story through the numbers and the deck, tightening the materials, and being the person the client relies on to execute correctly. I enjoy the pressure and the responsibility, and it’s reinforced that I want institutional IB experience for the reps, the structure, and the professional rigor.

Now it’s November ~6 months out and despite consistent applications, networking (LinkedIn outreach, cold emails, coffee chats, warm connections), I haven’t generated meaningful traction. I’ve had to expand applications into adjacent finance roles simply to keep forward momentum while IB remains the main goal.

I’m applying for IB Analyst roles because I still want the institutional training and proper deal experience, but I’m trying to understand the realistic odds for someone in my exact position.

My Questions:

What are my realistic chances of breaking into IB 6+ months post-grad, given a late start and non-target background?Does my self-sourced advisory experience help my story or make bankers skeptical?What parts of my story should I emphasize — and what should I avoid?Are MM/boutiques more realistic than EBs at this stage?Any other tips or advice?

Feel free to be direct. Thank you!