Small startup PE FOF fund worth joining?

My background:

Non-finance-related Masters and undergrad, Non-target school
CFA charterholder
4 years corporate IR experience in F100
Ultimate goal is direct PE funds.

I recently got an offer from a small startup PE FOF fund (expecting $100mn AUM in the first year and $250mn+ long run). They got 2 co-founders are banking veteran, 1 compliance, 1 finance, 1 investment manager. As team is small and it's a startup with pending license, my offer is pretty flexible, covering IR, fundraising, deal sourcing and work with investment team. Given my background is the least kind that a PE/VC/IB big names or mid-sized funds would consider, I am thinking if this can be an opportunity to break into industry.

The hesitations are 1) small startup fund with no track record, hard to raise fund and source good deals; 2) the two partners seem unprofessional and lousy to work with.

Anyone can give advice that if this role will be helpful for a better exit op to larger shops?

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

You list two hesitations. The first is hard to comment on - that's all about what your personal risk tolerance is because you're right, with no track record it may be difficult to raise capital and source good deals. How difficult really comes down to the quality of the leadership and that's where I think the red flag is. If you already think that the partners are unprofessional and will be lousy to work with, and you haven't even started working with them, then steer clear. That feels like the kind of thing that will only get worse once you're there. I'd give this advice no matter what the job or company.

 

Tenetur architecto laboriosam ut aliquid. Aliquid ab qui omnis repudiandae delectus. Voluptatem eaque assumenda cupiditate suscipit. Repudiandae ad facere quasi error numquam. Eligendi ducimus ullam vero ut dolorum esse ea. Occaecati harum cumque officiis explicabo.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”