Sponsor-Backed vs Independent Corporate Roles

I interviewed with a sponsor-backed services firm and the comp was insane for client-facing work, but also seeing some of the comp figures for ops-type roles it also seems abnormally competitive. What's the difference from a job perspective? I'm thinking in the mix of corporate jobs like CorpDev, StratFin, Strategy, Investor Relations, etc. I always thought Sponsor-Backed would be a turnoff given the debt burden, incentives to reduce expenses (people) as well as the disincentive of giving away equity comp, but if I'm seeing this correctly they actually pay really well. I think relatively speaking what I've seen regarding comp is 1. Independent private late stage firm (like a tech or services firm) 2. Sponsor-backed growthy firm 3. Publicly listed corporation 4. The rest. What makes a sponsor-backed firm attractive?