SVB Financial Group or MSSB PWM internship?

Damn dude...I am a sophomore at a target and SVB didnt respond to me..

SVB is a boutique IB right? Both would be great for a freshman

Thanks for the input asiamoney!

And yes, its a boutique IB. But I don't think that my internship is related to the IB side (i wish!).

First of all, congrats on the offers. Both are amazing opportunities. Just to clarify, SVB is Silicon Valley Bank, correct? And they are a typical bank, i.e. issue debt? I didn't know they did IB (advisory basically)...

As a freshman, both will set you up for great opportunities if you want to pursue a career in finance. However, one may be better than the other if you are interested in particular careers. If you are interested in tech. for example, SVB would be a great opportunity to get to know the industry and various verticals and some of the companies within them. However, if you feel that wealth management may be something that interests you, MSSB may be the way to go. It really depends on what you think you want to do going forward...

If you were speaking generally though, I would suggest taking SVB. Yes, the work will probably involve a lot of research/not much deal specific work, but the experience is in my eyes, much more unique than a PWM internship (may be my bias for VC/tech). This will set you apart and actually give you something interesting to chat about when you network later on. With that being said, MSSB is a more well known name, so that would be the major trade-off.

PM me if you'd like to discuss further. I've done some VC/banking internships

thanks for your help usc8888!

And you're right, SVB isnt actively involved in IB, but has an advisory role.

If SVB is not directly related to IB, I'd think that PWM at MSSB would be the best place to start. Like asiamoney said, it has proved a good stepping stone in the past.

I agree with asiamoney.

I would go with SVB. They bank a majority of venture backed companies in the bay area and have contacts in anything and everything VC. If you're doing market/portfolio analysis I'd assume your offer is with SVB Capital, which heads their larger deals.

MSSB PWM internships are a dime a dozen, whereas an internship with SVB doing something analytical (esp freshman year) will make you stand out a little more.

My opinion, hope it helps.

While PWM internships are pretty common, my impression was that one with MSSB stands out as a bit more impressive/hard to get? Or would most recruiters see the difference as negligible?

Thanks for all the advice guys! I just got an internship offer from a local VC. Thought I'm not to sure what the internship entails (probably just research and analysis stuff). Would a VC be a better fit on my resume for IBs in the future?