Looking to switch to earlier stage growth or venture, curious who the best headhunters are for those types of roles and what advice people have. Currently a growth / PE associate at a fund that functions more like a buyout shop. Thanks.
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Based on the most helpful WSO content, the headhunters that have been effective for buyside roles, which could include growth or venture roles, are Charles Aris, GloCap, HSP, Oxbridge, and Pinnacle Group. There are also a vast number of smaller headhunting shops that may be assisting with one-off PE gigs. It's recommended to reach out to any and every headhunter actively and schedule calls and introductions to as many as you can.
For generalist private equity, Amity, Bellcast, CPI, Dynamics, McKibben, and Oxbridge have been recommended. Glocap has some good middle-market connections.
In London and more broadly Europe, private equity recruiting is structured completely differently than in the US. Here, funds will recruit through the headhunters when they need to hire someone. The good headhunters for PE in this region are KEA, Walker Hamill, Blackwood, PER, Dartmouth (Arkesden, more focused on IB though).
Remember, it's important to highlight an interest in one field to each search firm; if you tell a headhunter you are interested in any finance position, they may not present you any finance positions.
Hope this helps and best of luck with your career transition!
Sources: Best Headhunting Shops ?, Q&A: 1st year VC analyst (~750M AUM), 20 Most Frequently Asked Questions - London Edition, Why the hate towards growth PE / sourcing (e.g. KKR Tech)?
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