Should I lateral ASAP?
I joined a impact fund (think DFI, Europe based) straight out of MBA. I really wanted this job and am very motivated. However, a year and a half into it, I'm feeling very underwhelmed -
-
Deal closure takes a loooong time. We invest in Africa and till now I've not closed a single deal. I feel this is impacting my skill set and employability elsewhere
-
I'm a bit bored because it's so slow. Maybe I can do more here on the sourcing side but not sure
-
The organization is very very hierarchal and getting promoted is a fight even at associate level. I'm very pissed about this though my manager is a wonderful guy and did his best. I just didnt expect to face this issue so soon in my career.
Pos are really nice people, they don't destroy companies they invest in and the work is actually meaningful. Amazing work life balance too, though at the cost of salary (not a huge priority for me).
I also feel my exit options are very narrow because of niche market experience. All the roles I try for ask for developed markets experience and am not even getting a chance to interview. I have gathered some experience in healthcare - can I use this to my advantage?
What do you fellow monkeys think? What's the best way out?
Bump
Bump
Not to be a jerk, but it sounds like you should have done a little more due diligence on impact investing before you decided to pursue it. Impact investing is a niche by the nature of the investments you make. Deal closure is also probably tough in developing countries where general business professionalization likely isn't as high. There also aren't many seats in impact investing in general, so I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't rapidly advancing. If you're not happy, you should look for other jobs, but going to generic PE is probably going to be pretty tough. You used up your MBA pivot on impact investing, so now you're going to have to be more creative with how you find your next role. If you're not happy, you should obviously leave, but it sounds like your complaints are really more with impact investing as a whole (niche space, hierarchy, slow deal cycles) rather than things like people/comp, which is usually what pushes folks on the buyside to lateral. Best way out is to tap your network and likely go back to some sort of corporate role if you want to stay broadly within the impact space.
Hey man, thanks for posting. I know I fucked up on some points but most of this stuff really was covid and bad leadership. The fund has faced budget cuts (since developed nations are busy funding their own systems) and there have been leadership changes. I studied the career track of current people in my team and the progress looked good but right after I came in, they made promotions really hard. Inability to travel means pipeline has dried up so lack of deal closure is even more stark compared to traditional finance which is booming. I did underestimate deal closure timing and did not realize how used to being really busy I was, that's on me.
Question is where do I go from here - is sector focus something I can use? Growth capital? Any inputs would be useful.
The work that I do is the same as any other growth equity associate except it's slower and more complex on weird angles.
Iure nihil quo assumenda ut. Non maxime sequi sed. Molestias explicabo consectetur magnam debitis voluptatem quibusdam dolores. Non ratione ab non. Labore exercitationem et non libero.
Aliquid fugiat sint in id rem. Exercitationem voluptate quo voluptates repellendus pariatur velit alias. Aut saepe rerum facere suscipit beatae quo eligendi.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...