Meeting with Founder of PE firm - Tips?

I am in the final round of a process with a fund that has raised ~$35Bn since inception - and the last step is to meet the founder of this fund.

Haven’t really met someone so senior across PE recruiting so kinda nervous and don’t know what to expect.

What are some things to keep in mind and some ways in which I can impress him?

Also not trying to think about this too much but how many folks would they have meeting someone this senior for an interview? I have to assume it’s ~3-5 for one spot but might be wrong.

9 Comments
 

Good question. He's not going to impressed with you no matter what you say or do. Unless you're an olympic athlete in a sport he likes.

The key is to be crisp on all of your answers of why pe, why this firm, etc...and be able to ask him good questions that he cares about. He's occupied with way more important stuff, you're probably never going to speak to him again, so the key is to provide a good conversation experience for him. I'd ask him about what it takes to become a partner at the firm, what are key characteristics in the most successful people at the firm, what does he think about the backlog of exits etc. 

You want him to not dislike you vs. like you.

 

The other thing I would add to the above is people at that level of seniority spend way more time thinking like a CIO than an investment partner and are very focused on macro, where we are in the cycle, interest rates, etc. No need to pretend you're a macroeconomist but would have a view on recent fed activity, inflation, etc in case that stuff comes up

 

Wrong about 3-5 -> if you are meeting a founder, the deal team is usually well committed to having you specifically on board

 

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