To take or not to take - Family Office PE exit

As the title suggests, I'm currently PE Associate at a small growth buyout fund. Opportunity to go to a SFO has come up where there's only a couple of people but expected to grow in the future (think $400-500M and growing) and doing a solid mix of fund and co-investment with some direct VC deals. Main attractions are of course better WLB, total WFH flexibility and a comp package of about $200k all in (20-30% bump from where I am now).

Is it worth jumping out of the fund world for that flexibility and freedom or silly to give up a fund investment team role where the comp can scale so much more quickly? The live in the moment part of me says take it and enjoy it and the more practical side tells me I'm crazy to leave the direct investment fund world without at least trying for Senior Associate/VP....

6 Comments
 

if the answers to the below are Yes, then I think it’s a good idea to make the move 

- do you have enough deal experience to your current shop where you can be value add at the family office and won’t need much more on the job training? 
- are you excited about being on the ground floor of something new and to be part of growing a firm and setting the culture?

- is the principal / key family member someone you vibe with?

 

Dolores voluptatum ducimus qui tenetur sunt illo voluptas quam. Vel animi eveniet iusto. Sequi hic pariatur ipsam dolores a et ratione alias.

Aut exercitationem in quasi sint. Sunt laudantium autem ut fuga.

A assumenda nemo corrupti provident voluptatem nisi. Optio voluptates eveniet iste qui aut et alias explicabo. Molestias placeat atque rem. Impedit ipsam ut pariatur et veritatis asperiores.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (273) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”