Permira Growth (Menlo) - Tier 1 place?

Hi all, I am looking to get into the growth equity space in the Bay Area. What are the main players here and how does Permira rank against them? Any colour on work/life balance, comp as an Associate? Thanks very much!

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Comp is in the $275-325k range for first year associates. Working hours are long - it’s an active megafund, you’re not going there for the lifestyle. Culture I’m not as sure about other than from interviewing but seemed like an okay place, think people are generally more reserved / introverted but that’s pretty typical of PE as a whole

 
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There's other info I've written about Permira Menlo elsewhere but I'll rahash some and add some new stuff since then.

1. Woah: these guys are sweaty. Not just sweaty, but sharp. They're relentlessly thorough and never fail to tick through every scenario planning case with robot-like precision, both likely outcomes and the far-off possibilities of what could be. They have a strong sense of value and consider more when thinking about value than do most investors.

2. Permira Menlo is one of the few places where I would drop everything to work there. However, to provide more clarity on the sweaty aspect, they'll throw guys from around the world on Menlo deals. You do the math when you have a guy from London, Italy, Menlo, and somewhere in the East all jockeying for calendar space.

3. As for people, here are two datapoints: one of the VPs is a ball-buster but that makes for a good VP, and one of the associates is chill.

 

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