No mid-cap M&A firm wants me

I’m currently a BBA student with a specialisation in Corporate Finance, I did a 4 months internship in business valuation in 2022 and a 6 months internship in M&A in a small cap boutique. I applied to several banks and boutiques (Alantra, Cambon, Edmond de Rothschild…) My resume passes the screening every time but after the first interview they prefer candidates on a grande école programme. Should I turn to small-cap structures at the risk of having a less prestigious name on my resume or join a VC fund, knowing that my goal is to do tech M&A later on?

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