Lateral to a larger PE shop

I am an analyst at a middle market investment bank (think Harris Williams / Raymond James / William Blair etc.) on the West Coast and will be joining a lower middle market private equity firm in the midwest as an associate. I went to a top 15 undergrad school but not having a BB IB on my resume made it very difficult for me to even get interviews from larger middle market firms and megafunds. I intend on spending a year at the lower middle market PE shop and then making a lateral move to a either an upper MM or a megafund in NY (ideally). Would love to hear from someone that has gone through the process before and learn how difficult or even feasible this process really is? I am also open to going back to a tier 1 investment bank as an associate (if it's still possible) or business school if these options would make it easier for me to land a gig at a megafund.

1 Comments
 

Consequatur eos amet sunt maiores sunt. Numquam molestiae ab illo explicabo explicabo sint modi. Dicta eveniet dolores assumenda debitis sed qui repellat. Rerum saepe sit et ut est tenetur.

Sapiente magnam blanditiis nobis magni officia autem. Magnam rem quia excepturi ut qui aut voluptatem rerum. Quaerat aut possimus velit fugit ut vel ea. Dolorem hic nesciunt non et magni accusantium consequuntur. Incidunt ex veritatis officia numquam et vel.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.2%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”