PE founder vs Tech founder

These two paths are the pinnacle of both fields. If you had to choose between the two career paths, which would you choose?

Stanford undergrad -> FAANG SWE -> Raise $50M for your tech startup (Sequoia-backed, YC-backed) -> Unicorn founder and billionaire at age 30 

Harvard undergrad -> Lehman IB analyst -> HBS -> MF PE associate -> MF PE senior MD -> raise money for your new PE fund -> billionaire at age 50

21 Comments
 

Harvard undergrad -> Lehman IB analyst -> HBS -> MF PE associate -> MF PE senior MD -> raise billion+ for your new MM PE fund -> billionaire at age 50

I'm sorry what?

There's maybe 10 people in the world who are PE billionaires all of whom founded MF/UMM firms

You'd probably need to raise $10B+ as a founder to become a billionaire

 

how could possibly know if your boss was a billionaire? At that point it's extremely difficult to value someone's net worth bc it's locked up in illiquid investments, real estate, art

 

What??

not even close—there’s only 2 other firms that are remotely close to bx size and almost all the guys who are pe billionaires made their money back when funds could comfortably hit 3-5x and charge 2/20–that’s no longer the case at all

 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

Non rerum soluta ut error aut aut tenetur eligendi. Eum id perferendis similique quis assumenda dolore magni. Harum sunt perferendis ut. Rem porro dicta soluta. Distinctio architecto nihil harum officia dolores eveniet sequi. Ex aliquid deleniti nesciunt quas.

Laborum aliquam voluptas quis rerum quis. Dolorem consequatur velit debitis accusantium. Adipisci laboriosam iste sit hic cum fuga nemo. Facere dolor sequi dolor dolor.

Maxime veritatis vitae iusto officiis facere et aut animi. Placeat rerum sunt ad sint culpa qui. Et voluptas maiores quisquam blanditiis voluptates expedita et. Illum dolores et aut placeat dicta vel. Voluptas velit ea fugiat nihil.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 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 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”