Sourcing: Buyout PE vs Growth PE/VC

To those who have experience in one or both of the above fields, what are some differences in the way that these funds find new deals? * MF LBO shops vs MM/LMM LBO shops vs Growth shops vs VC shops? * Are deals typically sourced at the partner level, or the junior level? * For shops where it's done at the junior level - is it more via phone/email at desk, or via meeting in person? Obviously these will vary a lot from firm to firm but looking for trends/generalizations here.

3 Comments
 

Can speak for VC/GE.

For early stage VC (seed/series A/B), most funds would have a continuous deal flow with startups sending decks (juniors sourcing). VCs attend events and go to pitching competitions/incubators to get to know the startups before a fund raise to be or their radar, my fund used to do this with people from Junior level to Partner depending on availability.

For Growth Equity, at least in the tech space there is a limited number of highly successful startups, its pretty much all about following them and be ready to jump on an opportunity with an attractive valuation (Partners would have the relationships, juniors would grind valuations/competition analysis etc).

Note this is from my experience in a shop investing from $1m-$50m+, having designated teams for each.

 
Most Helpful

On the MM LBO/Growth front, I tend to see more deals get generated from the usual auction process/marketed by the bankers. These processes are level agnostic since the advisors try to get as many eyeballs on the opportunity as possible.

VC sourcing is very much aligned with the previous poster - i.e. pitch days, incubators etc. Similarly level agnostic once the company has raised beyond seed in my opinion.

I've led/managed/been involved in over 15 investments to date, ranging from early to late stage growth, as well as MM buyouts. Only 3 have been absolutely proprietary and were at the partner level - a function of their 10-20 years of experience and tracking the opportunity for over 3 years. The promotors/business owners were also relatively close to them e.g. business school mates, ex-colleagues.

A little side-track from the main topic, these deals were all sourced by different partners and all at the late growth/buyout stage - leading me to think that perhaps the average senior investment professional would proprietorially source/develop a great investment opportunity in this space every 3-5 years. Further, these investments generated the highest returns as well.

I'd also note that my investment experience spans primarily across Oceania and Asia with ticket sizes of $150m max so this may differ from US and Europe.

 

Omnis blanditiis autem et placeat. Facilis non nobis sapiente dolorum rem similique. Sed alias dolores officia eaque consequatur delectus. Sit totam omnis voluptatem dolorem. Quis fuga voluptatibus voluptatem facere eveniet distinctio in. Voluptate autem tenetur dolorem et saepe praesentium.

Qui numquam dolor voluptatibus sit reprehenderit. Reiciendis est soluta placeat eos enim. Reprehenderit placeat aspernatur soluta ut.

Minus ut quia suscipit explicabo blanditiis aut voluptatem. Ab et ratione officia provident quia. Qui officia et odio voluptatem quod totam. Autem recusandae qui atque aut qui. Ea quidem autem voluptatibus et temporibus dolorem dolore velit. Maiores sequi deserunt voluptatem aperiam. Minus aperiam magni saepe sit vitae saepe. Et vel veritatis ab est ut.

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%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 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 01 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 (80) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”