Looking to pivot into GE / PE as an MBA aso in Ib
Currently an MBA Associate at a top-6 bulge bracket investment bank, focusing on M&A. Interested in pivoting into a reputable growth equity firm/ MF PE and would love to hear from those who have successfully made a similar move.
Specifically, I’m curious about:
• Examples of individuals who’ve transitioned from investment banking post-mba asso/vp level
• Key steps they took to position themselves for the move.
• Insights into the recruitment process, networking strategies that were particularly useful.
Any advice, anecdotes, or resources would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
MF PE / GE associate role is pretty much impossible for a post-MBA banking associate. Recruiting is extremely structured at those places and seats are very limited so the profile of who they hire is very cookie cutter and you're too old at this point to be a pre-mba associate and too inexperienced to be a post-mba senior associate / VP.
If you want to move to the buyside, your best shot is networking with LMM / MM PE funds. It's a very challenging environment to find a midlevel / post-mba career track seat in PE right now (even for people at MF PE funds / with pre-mba PE / top IB experience) so you may need to readjust your expectations.
All makes sense. None of the pre-mba corp dev experience counts?
How many lateral Senior Asos / VPs are hired generally in GEs/MF PEs? Turnover at Aso level in these funds?
If you’re willing to come in as an associate, I think you could get some looks. Age is less important than people think.
No, the corp dev experience won't be seen as counting.
In a given year, MF PE / GE / Name brand UMM will hire 200-250 junior associates across all funds / geographies, but will only hire / make ~50 VP / Principals. Of those 50 seats, roughly half will be promotions from the junior associate pool (meaning roughly 1 in every 10 MF PE junior associates will get or take a career track promotion) and the other 20-25 seats will be filled through MBA recruiting and laterals.
Big PE funds are oversaturated and middle-heavy right now so hiring is competitive - you really only have 20-25 "open" seats a year across 20-30 name brand funds - so pretty much every single one of those seats is filled with people with MF / UMM PE experience. Nowadays, the best way to get a VP spot at a big PE fund is target a junior associate seat at a promotion friendly / growing platform.
Unfortunately, like I mentioned, you're too old for this at this point. Not only really an age thing, but just a truth that most post-mba experienced associates (30+ yrs old) are not willing to take a demotion and pay cut and lifestyle hit back to a bottom of the totem pole junior associate role when they could be promoted to VP at their bank next year.
its VERY tough but it's doable, only if you go to LMM as an associate. age does not matter but keep in mind in PE (at least MF) newly minted VPs are all 27-29 so you just need to be okay being bossed around by people younger than you
Isn’t this the case in IB as well for A2As > VP?
yeah but IB has a more flexible path and people can stay in SA and VP roles longer. PE is a strict 2-3 year A/SA then VP, else you are out.
start with your own network first and get in touch for coffee chats, you really got to be hungry for it
In this case, how do you go about recruiting for an LMM/MM as a post-mba aso?
Why not go IB, aim for a Unicorn Startup in Corporate IR/GTM/ Corp Dev, and then go do a top VC down the road?
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