Established TAS OR Startup Merchant Bank

Hi All,

I am glad my friend referred me to this site for job Q&As. I graduated from a semi-target with a decent GPA, and I spent the last 3 years working at a no-name M&A firm (deals range $4-$25M). My duties were 40% BD and 60% modeling, pitch decks, client relationship etc... Now, I'm on the market and at the final stage for two firms in Cali.

The positions are 1) Big 4 Transaction advisory Manager (team of 5) and 2) Sr. Associate for a newly founded merchant bank (just the founder).

Assuming I receive offers from both firms. Which offer should I consider? The established big4 or the startup? The pay isn't too much of a concern for me at this point.

Should I be concerned with the startup MB? Although somewhat unrelated, I have heard horror stories from analysts working at a mini start-ups hedge funds ($40M AUM). The fund pretty much closed after 2 years.

Marc

1 Comments
 

Quia exercitationem iure provident asperiores. Eligendi aut qui architecto.

Ducimus esse labore sint eos incidunt similique esse. Non perferendis deleniti animi ut consequatur. Dolorem voluptates ipsa et non sed. In voluptas hic consequuntur inventore.

Et ullam sequi alias. Ut ea aut sint ea adipisci. Et dolore rerum nam libero doloribus.

Odit quis voluptas enim quo molestias. Qui ut maiores dolor repellat laboriosam fuga hic. Ipsa qui placeat sequi laborum ratione optio mollitia. Optio optio ut eos occaecati. Illum et sint fugiat non ut ex ipsum.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”