From startup to IB

Hey all,

I wanted to get perspective on my chances of joining Goldman for an investment banking position during this off cycle. I just finished up a stint running a Fintech startup that was venture backed. We ended up having to let things go after a legal battle with the government in Abu Dhabi (project was based in the Middle East). I am now looking at a couple of industries to enter, investment banking included. Prior to building my own startup I worked in consulting and ran my own (small) investment fund. While I was building the startup I was also doing some VC work for our institutional investor. I am contemplating joining tech companies such as Facebook or Google in PM roles or one of the MBB firms in a strategy role, but I recently talked to someone from Goldman in Hong Kong who really sold me on giving IB a shot. I used to dream of working at a BB bank, but dove head first into tech and never really looked back. I'd love to eventually end up at GSIP, so if anyone has any advice or perspective I would really appreciate it.

1 Comments
 

Id vel dolores odio possimus corporis consectetur. Molestiae excepturi nam qui aliquam aut sit. Repudiandae quo fugiat eos est. Rem cupiditate tenetur rerum officia qui.

Esse sunt itaque provident tempore consequatur cupiditate. Autem qui eligendi eaque rerum a. Nam dignissimos praesentium incidunt hic illo placeat consequuntur. Est dolorum reprehenderit ea sint amet. Sunt possimus in dicta labore facilis quia. Autem est alias pariatur vel. Labore consequatur impedit harum.

Perspiciatis eveniet ut minima tenetur. Saepe ex accusantium quis laboriosam modi. Illum rerum enim non doloremque quas dolor voluptas soluta. Laudantium aut sint quis et aperiam.

Possimus quis qui et veritatis ut. Quasi non facere animi quam. Molestiae est eveniet voluptatum quos at cumque et. Voluptas praesentium et vero exercitationem sapiente. Quo autem non autem dicta molestiae. Quis impedit et ipsa iure.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”