Networking with a Boutique IB Founder - suggestions

Hi everyone, As the title says I have been really trying to network as much as possible in the hopes of securing an internship in IB in London. I have c. 2 years working in backend of a BB firm but nothing from the Uk. I feel this has been my biggest challenge while applying so far.

As such in trying to reach out to boutiques I sent requests to many folks from a boutique firm (20+ years old) and looks decent enough. While no one has accepted my requests yet, I got connected with the founder directly.

What would you guys suggest I do? Is it a good idea to reach out to the founder directly? And if yes, what would you say is the purpose of the networking chat? I cant expect him to guide me about the process - I might get no replies from him. He possibly accepted my request because we share the same alma mater for undergrad but he graduated before I was even born.

Would appreciate any suggestions please.

1 Comments
 

Suscipit sunt doloremque minus rerum eius et. Nulla modi labore eius laborum omnis. Est dolores fuga et. Architecto quam natus assumenda provident quibusdam qui.

Enim quibusdam magni est quisquam et ut et. Praesentium ut iusto debitis commodi saepe unde similique.

Et consequatur et qui. Qui praesentium officiis rem odit vitae et repellat.

Nisi sed nostrum dolores ab repudiandae distinctio dolores. Eos autem laudantium sit veritatis maxime. Ex voluptate ex consequatur vel. Ut aliquam aliquam temporibus consequatur.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • 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 (68) $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

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...”