Five Elms Capital - Reputation, Comp, Exit opps, etc?
Hi everyone,
Curious to hear about everyone's thoughts on Five Elms Capital. Any insight would be appreciated.
Thank you.
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I can't comment on comp or exit opps but at my previous firm we took hard runs at a few of their portfolio companies.
All I can say is that they were attractive companies so those guys must be doing something right.
Thanks for that insight! Do they have a good name in the financial services industry, or are they not that known?
They love to hire out of undergrad and groom their people for career track roles. They also have a very large team (relative to fund size) committed to a unique sourcing strategy. I hear the sourcing stuff is actually pretty legit. I also hear they drastically, painfully underpay their people: probably worse than 50% under market.
It's good that they hire out of undergrad, but wow that underpayment is massive. Do you know how exits are from there/could potentially be?
Having spent a couple of years there, I would say this is pretty accurate. The sourcing engine is genuinely one of the best in the game, and they only continue to improve.
As for the pay, that comment is accurate at least for my time there.
However, in the time since, I know that some of the critical reviews here and on Glassdoor have made it all the way up the chain. As such, I wouldn't be shocked if pay has improved, though I can't personally speak to it.
Great culture @ Five Elms Capital (FEC). Just raised a new fund bringing its AUM to 1.5B+. FEC has a dedicated sourcing team so PE analysts aren't on the phones all day like most growth shops.
The dedicated sourcing team is definitely attractive. However, regarding the pay, are you sure? As the user above mentioned they underpay a lot. Also, curious regarding exit opps. Thanks nonetheless!
I could be wrong, but I'd be surprised if its on-par with banking. It might not be as bad as I quoted, but I know a person or two there and it's certainly not banking. In Kansas City, it would be weird if they did.
Only have heard regarding base
Thanks HR. That’s extremely helpful.
Talked to an individual who worked there and said first year pay was $65k
Base pay is actually $75k - $85k
Depends if it's investment team or sourcing team. I don't know, but I'd guess the $65k is sourcing team, whereas your stat might be investment team.
$75K for IC is about right. Be prepared to work 80+ hrs. consistently. Ton of turnover this year. Inner circle type culture.
Any insight into where people are exiting to?
Mostly ops roles, some land VC/PE in other spots. I heard a lot of the carry is selectively given out to individuals with ties to LPs... total "Work hard, play hard" red flags culturally. No bonus. Strictly base comp..
@Kokomo have heard terrible things about pay (low base + no bonus) and inner circle culture. Check out their Glassdoor reviews and watch out for the two HR reviews to cover up a bad review LMAO grabs popcorn
bUiLt By A vIsIoNaRy aNd aCcEsSiBlE fOuNdEr, fIvE eLmS hArNeSsEs tHe CoLleCtIvE wIsDoM oF tHiS tEaM iN a ReLaTiVeLy FlAt OrGaNiZaTiOn
They’re really trying to cover up honest reviews
Those were not HR cover ups. I know with certainty that those positive posts were actual former employees who thought that the initial scathing review was a cheap-shot that painted an unfair picture of Five Elms. Consequently, they jumped into defend their former employer (read: friends who still work there) with authentic positive reviews. As an aside, everyone should take caution to avoid cynical interpretations of everything in life -- it can lead you astray at best or down the road to ruin at worst. As proof that cynicism is often just flat wrongheaded, I am one of the former employees who wrote one of those positive Glassdoor reviews. And I did so on my own volition. Why? (a) I still have friends there. (b) All the folks there are genuinely good people. (c) A lot of folks put a ton of blood, toil, tears and sweat into building Five Elms into something unique and special even if imperfect, and their hard work doesn't deserve to be torn down by cynics. Build bridges, don't burn them.
Here's the candid review from one of their former employees, no wonder HR/mgmt tried to conceal it:
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