Thoughts on IB Data Science groups (eg. GS IBD Strats, Citi M&A Strategic Advisory)

Interested in learning more about what these groups and where people tend to exit to. I'm a CS/ECON double-major and have experience with data science and finance and am looking to go into IB and then preferably HF (best fit given personality and strengths). These groups look interesting but I want to be more than just a "quant" - want exposure to deal strategy, traditional IB stuff.

Any thoughts on these groups, what they do, and exit opps would be appreciated.

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

No clue on where they exit, but they are not generally considered "attractive" groups by traditional investment banking employees. At Citi, this group is combination of FSG (Financial Strategies Group), shareholder advisory, and data science. Just having worked with the FSG guys, they are mostly looking at things like WACC, optimal capital structure, optimal capital allocation (M&A, dividends, buybacks), etc. Their analyses are pretty technical, and they are sort of considered "nerds". The shareholder advisory folks are really focused on understanding institutional shareholders, and how their investment preferences and motivations can affect the investor base and the broader companies. They do have a decent amount of data analytics on who is holding what, tracking ownership over time, understanding which funds have a preference for which companies, trying to see what the market is signaling based on investor behavior, tracking activist campaigns, etc. So again, not traditional front office stuff. 

Long story short, would not encourage going into these types of groups if you are looking for a traditional IB experience. I would imagine this stuff isn't super attractive to HFs either compared to the traditional groups. 

 

Omnis totam odio facere voluptas nemo. Molestiae hic ea facilis doloremque rerum et. Omnis odit corporis quo et pariatur autem quo cumque. Omnis eaque necessitatibus in id.

Dolorem repudiandae ab exercitationem velit voluptas totam. Sed reiciendis dignissimos aliquid eligendi inventore. Molestiae dicta dolor esse.

Molestias ea dolor at mollitia. Suscipit voluptate reiciendis porro iste sint ut. Quasi vel vel laboriosam assumenda minima aliquam enim. Impedit et neque expedita enim quas eaque. Sed vel vel dignissimos dolorem non. Soluta velit accusantium assumenda recusandae voluptas cumque autem enim. Excepturi recusandae voluptatem incidunt consequatur neque ut voluptatem.

Quod consequatur culpa cupiditate laboriosam officiis. Sed quos vero est quia modi est. Voluptatibus qui eligendi quam et sit voluptatum. Doloremque sed eaque sed voluptas consequatur nihil alias. Enim a officia consequatur.

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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”