Corp Dev. Associate to PE?

Luckily joined F20 Corp Dev. group right after undergrad, and would appreciate any opinions on (1) the likelihood of being a credible candidate for PE interviews beginning in the coming month(s), and if so, (2) the type/ level of PE shops I could reasonably target?

Relevant details: - Graduated from top 3 undergrad in '18 - >12 months of experience; no prior IB internship experience - Material involvement in various parts of diligence for 3 deals between ($50M-$1B)

Happy to add additional info. Thanks!

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It happens more than you think. Corp Dev to IB happens way more. If you choose to target PE firms, you're going to have to find firms that exclusively focus on what business vertical you're in. It's going to be hard being in Pharma and exiting to a PE firm that invests in Pharma, Healthcare Providers. If you're in O&G the PE firms that exclusively focus on O&G will be the ones that may be willing to give you a shot. Obviously, if you network hard enough you could overcome those limitations, it's doubtful though. CD to IB is pretty easy. CD to PE is hard. I've seen VP's of CD at legit companies only manage to score Op roles at PE firms, even if they had over 10+ years of previous IB experience. Good luck.

 

Yeah it would. But again you need to have a very strategic focus on which firms you want to target.

If you have good deal flow at your company, you should be able to build out a solid list. If you talk to investment banks on a frequent basis, ask them for a couple more names as well. They’re trying to sell to you after all, use them.

 

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