What do you think of PE Value Creation Careers in 2026?
Ignore my role. Currently more than 3 years into MBB. Have an offer on the table from a reputable LC fund to join their value creation team.
Team seems really sharp with all ex-MBBs and especially on the junior side typical target school profiles. Did my research on them, and people who have been formerly in this role seemed to have enjoyed it. From my read on the fund, the team is also seen as an essential piece of delivering the deal thesis.
Investing style is more on the side of buying good assets and making them better, so a lot of their VCP often involves, e.g., bringing a good product to more customers through commercial levers and international expansion.
What do you think in general about these roles?
Always thought myself If I go to PE I want to do deals but I’ve gotten quiet burned out on MBB hours already (particularly with LC sponsors) and most of my deal team interviews did not click at all for me (i.e., couldn’t see myself working 80-90h anymore). On the other hand with these VCP role, I did not think much about it but throughout the process I just enjoyed the interviews. People seemed genuinely nice/humane vs. the deal teams I mostly felt like talking with completely overworked and exhausted robots who just drilled me on a bunch of technicals.
These perspectives are outside-in as a former MBB now on the investment team, but my view:
What is the second class citizen point and how would it be observable in real life, particularly for a non-senior person? I hear that a lot.
I don’t want equal pay, carry, heck I even don’t care about fancy off-sites and have no interest in mingling around the deal teams.
The main thing I want though is not having wo work crazy hours like the deal team and also not working weekends. I also don’t see this as a long term opportunity within the fund, but rather a 2Y’ish stint that gives me brand equity for other opportunities. I think the combination of MBB + hands on VCP work at a really good fund positions one well in the current environment.
The second class citizen issue was also always a point at MBB in a sense of front-office consultants vs. research/internal staff. Also there I never got the dispute. Those guys were leaving like 5-6 hours earlier than me, why would they be entitled to the same perks?
Your last sentence is exactly what your investment team is going to think of you in a VCP group lmao
Hahah. I actually crave a role like this.
I’m done working with Type-A Hardos until post midnight everyday.. I would equally well go for a nice Corp. Dev gig but the pipeline in terms of opportunities seems rather bleak.
Chiming in here as someone on the investment side. We have an ops team but their value-add is near zero if not negative in some cases due to friction it can create with our management teams. The concept of the ops team makes sense but in reality I've found that they don't own decisions or execution so accountability becomes a finger pointing game with management when outcomes aren't what was expected. Their role is more like an intermediary who re-packages the management team's work which creates unnecessary layers as well as confusion in some cases because they don't truly understand the business and the different variables. After speaking with others whose firms also have ops teams, it seems this experience is common. Haven't spoken to anyone who believes their firm does it well and the ops team adds real value.
Would agree that’s the sentiment on deal teams (I am deal team). Sometimes I wonder if it’s because we don’t have true visibility into what the ops folks actually do all day. Easy to judge if you don’t understand.
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