IB Lateral for better exits..

Hello All,

Please bear with me as I am unfamiliar with this process. I am a current undergrad senior and will be starting in Stifel’s Tech group next summer as a first year analyst. Obviously the MM banks like mine do not have a brand name and hence I assume exit opps to MM/UMM PE are fairly limited despite the deal experience I will receive. With this said I am asking if it is worth it to lateral to a bigger bank. My main question is how this timeline plays out. If I lateral after a year with Stifel will this allow me enough time to recruit for PE at my new bank? Isn’t most PE recruiting done during the first year of IB or can I fully recruit as a second year as well. Any insight or suggestions appreciated!

8 Comments
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

This is super common.

Depending on when on-cycle recruiting kicks off for your class, you may need to do a 3rd year of banking in order to recruit on cycle (as you would be leaving stifel after on-cycle your first year). There are still plenty of off-cycle opportunities, but if you are targeting the most brand-name funds, you may need to do that extra year which will give you another year of deal experience.

 
Most Helpful

Tech analyst in the bay, disregard title. 

Could you lateral? Sure. After 8 months - year at Stifel, you could start networking with better banks and you'd have no problem getting a lateral spot. 

Should you lateral? Depends. If your goal is having solid exit ops, Stifel Tech is honestly not that bad. Recently had analysts place into Marlin Equity and STP in the bay area. If you work your ass off and get top bucket, you will have a lot of optionality. You need to understand that a lot of what is said on WSO is either bs or inaccurate, and the Stifel name is not bad at all, especially in Tech. 

Now, if you want large-cap MF buyout, then you should probably lateral after a year. However, Tech MF recruiting is an absolute crapshoot and by lateraling to say, JPM Tech you are only increasing your chances of getting it by a margin. Is it worth it to start over, develop new relationships with co-workers/senior bankers just for a slightly better chance at a MF? That's up to you. But I wouldn't be so set to lateral given that you haven't even hit the desk at Stifel yet. What if you love the people, the deals and the culture at Stifel? The grass is not always greener. Also your priorities may change once you start getting the shit kicked out of you in IB. A lot of people self-select out of UMM/MF recruiting because it literally is banking 2.0 if not worse. 

 

Nesciunt et cumque sed pariatur rem nemo. Eaque consequatur voluptates iusto voluptates. Id consequatur et ut dolorum. Voluptate dolores labore odit odio doloremque aut. Necessitatibus ratione soluta et voluptas. Magni eaque ut asperiores magnam qui quas.

Quisquam adipisci blanditiis non animi omnis qui et. Nihil molestiae omnis maxime molestiae officiis. Neque est magnam voluptatem quo in.

Laborum id voluptate qui non. Accusamus error ea sed assumenda. In culpa sed enim sapiente et. Vel consequatur sunt labore. Tempore itaque est atque ad amet cumque error.

 

Voluptas eius in tempora voluptatem alias voluptatem. Unde porro quod culpa in assumenda alias. Optio consequatur ipsum esse illo. Quo molestias molestiae perferendis alias dolores corrupti et.

Magni illum porro nisi distinctio quo dolores eaque asperiores. Veritatis ex nemo corrupti quam.

Recusandae autem dolorem laborum ad nemo. Aut voluptas in eum ut. Dolorum sed reiciendis est sint repellendus consectetur suscipit. Sint temporibus molestiae quaerat architecto.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”