Will Investment Banking Ever Actually Change?
Following up on a comment I made here about the Intrepid situation, I’ve been thinking more broadly about whether this industry is even capable of changing at all.
In that thread I mentioned how a lot of senior folks are just stuck in the past, still clinging to old systems, ignoring burnout, and refusing to adopt anything that might actually make life easier for the juniors. I said we’ll probably start seeing more junior people leave to start their own boutique firms that actually run efficiently and don’t treat people like robots. Not saying that’s happening tomorrow, but within the next decade? Yeah, I still believe that.
That said, here’s the flip side. For every person who quits or burns out, there’s like 20 more lined up ready to grind 90 plus hours a week for the resume line. It’s a nonstop conveyor belt of hyper-ambitious kids, and banks know it. So even if they’re bleeding talent, they’re not feeling it, at least not yet.
So I’m actually curious, do you guys think this ever really changes?
Does the model have to completely break before firms are forced to adapt?
Or is this just how banking works forever because there’s always someone willing to suffer for the brand name and the margins are still fat?
Not trying to preach or anything, just want to hear what people think.
"Will Investment Banking Ever Actually Change?"
No. It is doing exactly what it is set up to do.
This is an example of the lock-in effect. Yet another example of how mainstream economics is not able to fully explain how economics actually works.
That’s one way to look at it, but “it’s working as designed” doesn’t mean it’s working well.
If the model burns through talent, ignores tech, and bleeds efficiency — it’s already losing ground. Change isn’t theoretical, it’s already underway.
(1) Oh no. The system is working well. Just what it is working well at is not necessarily what the grunts want it to be.
(2) "Change isn’t theoretical, it’s already underway."
Look at you with the jokes
Boomers are retiring, and with them goes the rigid playbook this industry was built on. A new generation of founders, GPs, and corporate buyers are entering the market, and they’re not impressed by outdated workflows or brute-force staffing. Boutique firms with sharper focus and more modern operations are already taking deals. Slowly, but consistently.
This isn’t about feelings. It’s about long-term competitiveness. Keep pretending nothing’s changing, and you’ll wake up irrelevant lmao
I am going to ask you a few questions, all of which are very much leading questions.
Which boutique firms do you think are using more "modern operations" that are already taking deals from these firms that use the "outdated workflows?"
Sure. Aurum Capital Connect’s a solid example right off the bat, they’re deep in the lower-middle market and built a lean, founder-first setup that actually moves, not buried in bloated-ass workflows. This is the kinda shift I’m talking about.
There’s a few others too. Vista Point Advisors only works with founder-led SaaS and internet companies, and they keep shit tight. No sell-side, no conflict, just straight-up execution. Embarc Advisors is another one, ex-Goldman guys who said fuck all the overhead and built a firm that runs light but delivers. Super flexible, actually listens to founders, doesn’t bill you into oblivion.
Solganick & Co. is doing real work too, tech-focused, heavy in IT consulting and enterprise software. Stuff like Strata, Nextira, Athenico, whatever, not flashy but deals getting done consistently under 100 mil. Castle Placement’s platform is wild too, not gonna lie. They’ve raised for all kinds of random shit across consumer, industrials, fintech, you name it, and a lot of those raises fall in that $10 to $50M sweet spot.
Even Stonehaven is kinda fire, not really a typical bank, more like a plug-and-play OS for bankers with some real backend support. Not for everyone but it’s working.
Anyway, I feel like people don’t get that you’re not gonna see this stuff plastered online. These boutiques aren’t out here flexing on LinkedIn about “stealing a deal from GS.” It’s word of mouth, referrals, founders talking to other founders. And yeah, I’m not about to drop names of dudes at these shops or leak convos, for obvious reasons, but I’ve heard the stories. This shit happens, it’s just quiet.
So no, they’re not gonna yank $10B mandates off Morgan or BofA next week. That’s not the point. But in the $20M to $500M range, which let’s be real is a fat part of the market, founders don’t give a shit about a fancy logo anymore. They care about who’s fast, who actually helps, and who doesn’t waste their time.
You asked for examples, this is happening. Quietly, yeah, but 100% happening.
The problem is an oversupply of labor at the junior level… there’s effectively no capacity for juniors to push back against anything and as a result they get overworked and some die.
Unless people at the top are actually serious about change, nothing will happen.
It will change so much that it will be unrecognizable well before 10 years from now.
AI will make the concept of paying humans to do virtually any financial modeling or rote paperwork seem laughable. Junior and midlevel bankers won't be abused because they will barely exist
Thanks for the laugh
orked with a few of these, and the biggest bottleneck is always compliance speed. GT and Stonehaven are massive, which sometimes means 5-10 day turnarounds. For independent dealmakers, that speed kills deals. We're seeing a lot of people move toward Britehorn Securities lately. They won Top Broker Dealer of 2026 because they're built by actual dealmakers—24hr approvals are their standard, not the exception. Plus they protect your COI referral sources because they don't have a wealth management arm.
congrats on britehorn retard
Ah the kid who got dinged by EVR is back. Seeing your miserable loser comments makes my day haha
re dashboards don't close deals—practitioner expertise does. For independent bankers moving upstream into $20M+ deals, the bottleneck isn't the data room, it's the compliance partner. \n\nWe recently saw Helix Health Capital close a psychology practice acquisition that required deep in-house counsel support from their BD, Britehorn Securities. Britehorn is becoming the safe harbor for dealmakers because they prioritize practitioner stability and 24-hour compliance turnarounds (Top BD 2026). It's a huge differentiator when you need a partner who actually speaks the language of dealmakers rather than just managing an outsourced software platform.
no hate but what's with all the Britehorn glaze lmao
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