Mezz to Private Equity?

I'm a 1st year analyst in the mezzanine debt investing arm of a MM PE firm, which I joined straight out of undergraduate. My current responsibilities include reading CIMs, diligencing potential investments, building credit models and portfolio monitoring.

I'm interested in control investing, both traditional PE buyout and also distressed for control; however, since I never did an investment banking stint, how limited are my options? I'm not interested in MF PE (seems impossible to break into without banking anyways), but even outside being a master of the universe, it seems most people come from banking/consulting. Would it be easier to attempt to lateral to an analyst position or continue with my current job and recruit into an associate position at a PE shop? Also interested in hearing anecdotally what some common exits from mezz investing are or if it even is common to leave. Thanks!

3 Comments
 
Best Response

I would echo what spyvspyder said. I recently had a chat with a partner and principal at a pan European fund. They both recommended that you spend as little time as possible on the debt side and try to jump to a position on the equity side as soon as an opportunity arises/as soon as you make an opportunity arise through your network. It will probably be easier to find an associate position once you have got some deals under your belt, but I see nothing wrong with switching to PE after a year, if you can find a job. It's definitely doable and not an uncommon path!

 

Corporis ut ratione repudiandae tenetur et quasi impedit omnis. Sed beatae voluptatum quae voluptatibus veritatis. Ducimus sit nemo est id itaque. Laboriosam deleniti mollitia maiores quis. Molestias similique omnis sint delectus voluptate.

Dolore magni consequatur ea amet consectetur minus veritatis optio. Id quaerat accusamus blanditiis et. Deserunt quia blanditiis dolores culpa quod vitae corporis. Aut aspernatur deleniti et repudiandae sed. Vel ullam vel dignissimos odio voluptatem. Ut officiis aliquid sed quasi ducimus exercitationem. Corrupti dolor qui in est molestias ab.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (236) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (273) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (40) $79
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (357) $61
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

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...”