Thoughts on Kohlberg & Co

Culturally these guys are great. Very friendly and down-to-earth (but still smart / credentialed) people. I think being outside of the Midtown bubble has a positive effect on your psyche. That said they are in Mount Kisco, which is in the burbs and not an especially close one. As of a couple years ago the firm had a shuttle for Manhattan-based employees, catered lunches, etc. but it's still a rough commute you won't have to deal with most other places. 

In terms of approach, they are extremely top-down / thesis-driven where >80% of investments begin with an industry-focused "white paper." These are LEGIT research products, like 30 page slide decks analyzing industries, drivers, etc. Since they are so focused (my impression is 4-6 active white papers per sector at a time) I could easily see a scenario where you get fewer deal reps than somebody at a comparable-sized firm, albeit with higher conversion rates on the ones you do pursue. They also tend to be a little less aggressive than peers as it relates to leverage, management changes, M&A, pre-empting processes, etc. which probably have their own set of pros and cons.