Starting a Boutique Investment Bank focused on IPOs

Hello there. I am not for sure if I want to go into finance, but I have been looking into finance topics and the IPO process really interests me. I was wondering if anyone knows of how I could start an investment bank focused on IPOs. How does that whole process work and what should I be studying/looking into to better understand this subject? Is there a market for starting a small investment bank focused on IPOs? Who would I need to hire? What/who is apart of the IPO process? Any advice would be greatly appreciated... thanks

4 Comments
 

If you're a student, the best experience you could get at this point is landing an internship in an ECM group at a big bank that leads a lot of IPOS (you can refer to league tables on your own time) with Equity-Linked or Sales and Trading being a runner up.

A boutique specializing in IPOs doesn't totally make sense because typically in order to have underwriting capabilities you have to have the capital to manage that risk. This is why boutiques typically focus on advisory (no underwriting needed!)

As far as what to study, just keep up with current events and deals in the market. If you're interviewing, definitely be able to describe a few IPOs that have occurred in the market. Understand if it traded up or down, what its price range was, what the proceeds were, who they went to and/or how they were used (if disclosed). You'll get experience on roadshow and bookrun process in an internship / first year IB gig.

This year has been interesting for IPOs, very lumpy in terms of new issuance due to companies being hesitant in such a volatile market, although the healthcare equity markets have seemed healthy.

 

I commend you on your drive. Network like crazy with CEOs while you are in college, take your Series 7 test, and partner with a family office (whose relationship you obtain through networking). You can do this!

 

Tempore laborum ratione quaerat veritatis distinctio ea eaque. Est alias quaerat earum adipisci repellat quo quos. Et incidunt quae veniam accusamus corporis assumenda excepturi corporis. Ut eius neque animi perferendis.

Ut quos ut cupiditate non illum odio molestiae. Non tenetur in eligendi et atque. Aspernatur accusantium recusandae totam cupiditate quia nemo voluptatem molestiae.

Quos modi non minima quia odit facilis et eius. Qui eaque aliquid harum perferendis soluta et. Dolore voluptas dolore laborum eum qui.

Dolores est illum soluta est velit. Mollitia molestias consequatur provident molestiae ea consectetur omnis. Quo inventore natus cum incidunt. Nisi est accusantium nihil sunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”