as the title says - they are just the worst - not good operators just good and stripping value out of companies running their employees of their portcos into the ground
I'm sure some 1st year or college kid will say otherwise - but they are the worst
| +28 | Reference checks after final round | 13 | 15h |
| +25 | What do you think of PE Value Creation Careers in 2026? | 7 | 3d |
| +23 | Those who left PE for Corporate, why? | 17 | 7h |
| +21 | LT Career Path after MF PE Associate Program? | 7 | 1d |
| +19 | "VP of Finance at PortCo XYZ" | 3 | 4h |
| +19 | State of PE BD in 2026 | 7 | 16h |
| +18 | What are deal team responsibilities of a VP at your firm? | 7 | 14h |
| +18 | Is the lifestyle really better? | 17 | 1d |
| +13 | Is it too late for me? (Rising College Junior) | 5 | 1d |
| +12 | NY LMM PE Recruiting | 3 | 5d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
have run into a few of their analysts - kids are complete weenies
This is a bit surprising to hear as an outsider looking in. At least on the surface level, the credentials of the investors (including associates) are top-notch, with backgrounds in MBB
sycamore hires dweebs with good credentials but no industry experience or common sense. All the investment decisions come from Kaluzny, who is a noted slimeball / friends with Jeffery Epstein
The only question that matters is do they make their investors money. We are not here to save the manatees.
have run into Kaluzny in the past, guy is a known creep / bad dude
How soon after they came in did they send you packing without the severance package you thought you “deserved”.
Reality is, if you truly are valuable, the sponsor can’t do without you and will accordingly pay you to be there.
Being expendable is a cold hard truth. Dont shoot the messenger.
why is there so much love for sycamore. One of the worst funds out there, they destroy companies. I have heard they are having trouble raising capital too.
Sorry that you didn’t get an associate offer and are so sad that you had to make all these alt accounts
Haven’t heard great things about them either.
I work at sycamore what we do is some of the most honorable investing out there. We take legacy retail brands and aggressively cut costs to where employees can’t pay their own rent, fire long time employees, and cut benefits (no Gympass for these losers). We run the business for cash and return it all to LPs.
If our company isn’t generating enough cash we take a big ole loan and dividend the cash back to our LPs.
Why all the hate for sycamore? Kaluzny is an investing god
How do they treat the c-suite at their portfolio companies?
Surprising that all this is coning up now… didn’t see much of a negative reaction on past posts about them
They treat the line workers at their portcos like shit.
I think all of the negative stuff around Sycamore is coming out because their funds are getting smoked and LPs are not happy
That’s what I was wondering- assuming you’re doing a good job in the portfolio and c-suite or in the equity pool are you at risk at transaction for the sake of an add back or will you get your equity payout?
Wow, some hate from someone
Can we please stop all of this slander on Sycamore
a guy from my frat works there, I heard all the analysts got blanked on their bonuses due to poor portfolio performance. Apparently, Sycamore is a very toxic place to work and low morale across the rank and file.
Very bad if this is true, anyone else able to confirm that associates got $0 bonuses?
Not great situation. I am hearing many of the juniors are looking to go back to banking or business school.
I like how most of the negative posts in this thread are from a curiously diverse group of members-- PM in Growth PE, Principal in Event HF, VP in Private Credit, etc-- yet under nearly every one of those negative comment it says "Authored by: Certified Real Estate Professional - Portfolio Manager". What did Stefan do to you, Mr Certified Real Estate Professional - Portfolio Manager?
me /my firm owns a very large portfolio of retail properties across the US. We have dealt with Sycamore's portcos in rent negotiations and they are bar none the worst tennant. We wont lease properties to Sycamore owned businesses.
So you're impersonating fake WSO members/positions and slandering Sycamore online with significant false information because their portcos play hardball on rent negotiations with you? Seems like you're the one who's "the worst" here.
Any info on comp?
Market - slightly above market for fund size
Meaning 330-360 range for AS1?
Labore commodi similique reprehenderit eum molestiae itaque et commodi. Porro optio quo eius doloremque aspernatur est consectetur. Quaerat quisquam natus quis ullam eos. Nobis aliquam vel totam.
Est reiciendis expedita illo vero aut. Autem ex architecto aut aut modi in minima.
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...
Ea nihil beatae voluptates tenetur incidunt. Repellendus quia expedita enim. Temporibus qui et qui delectus quam rerum voluptatem. Quibusdam suscipit sit eos animi.
Sed esse voluptatem molestiae minus alias non. Velit et doloribus hic illo et perspiciatis est. Perspiciatis iste eveniet itaque qui optio est. Praesentium alias voluptatem est. Ut sed sunt et pariatur beatae totam. Id minus voluptas perspiciatis tempore. Voluptate ea libero dignissimos assumenda totam necessitatibus.
Quo sunt impedit eum temporibus beatae aut id. Laudantium eum quia et ad. Impedit vel error sunt atque. Nihil est qui excepturi fugit sint. Autem nihil quasi illo quia assumenda odit. Modi assumenda dolorem voluptatibus et soluta molestiae temporibus aut. Ut aut dolorum et temporibus qui.
Quod animi minima minima ut. Natus eos consequatur velit sed. Illum rerum sed voluptatum sit tempora minima voluptas. Neque suscipit sint reiciendis ex blanditiis. Dignissimos et possimus nulla omnis sed.