PE --> HF --> PE?

I'm an experienced PE associate considering a move into public markets (single manager). If I made the move and things didn't work out, is it realistic to think I could return to private equity?

5 Comments
 

If you're an experienced associate (3 completed years), you can always recruit back in as a VP. Your years at a HF will only make you better than other post-3rd year associates, but similar to the above commenter, don't expect to get credit (you'll be a first-year VP). You can almost view this HF as a two-year b-school stint if you haven't done an MBA.

 

As other posters have noted, I think you can definitely get back into PE at the VP level, although you may have to take a step down in terms of fund size (if you were at a MF, going to a UMM / MM fund). 

This is a slightly different scenario, but I've known a few people who went into operational roles at PE-backed companies and tech startups, realized they liked PE better (or more likely, they realized how much they valued the PE paycheck), and made the transition back without too much of an issue. I doubt HF would be much different.

 

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