3i reputation

Hi,

How is 3i's reputation nowadays? Are they still doing well? Does an internship at 3i open many doors in the London/NY IB scene?

Any information would be more than welcome.

Kind regards

 

I basically need to decide whether I want to prolongue my internship at my coutries' most important PE firm (about 2bn AUM) or join 3i for an internship (not the London office). What would you do and why?

 

Hi,

I work with 3i directly and can say that they are very professional and everyone I met from the team was very smart and genuinely like-able. In my job, I also get a lot of feedback from investors and whenever their name pops up,the feedback is very positive.

Take care to get what you want,otherwise you will be forced to like what you get.
 

Switch to 3i.. you can probably change the Office at a certain Point of time. In Addition you enlarge your Network significantly.

I was already so far beyond the point of no return that I couldn't remember what it had looked like when I had passed it.
 
Best Response

3i has been going through a major restructuring since Simon Burrows took charge (make sure you read their reports). This included significant head-count reductions, including a lot of PE investment professionals. I would be careful before joining 3i as they are focused on working out their existing portfolio at the moment and not actively investing on the PE side as far as I'm aware (i.e. need to return more cash to their investors and then raise a new fund). Be careful and make sure they do not already have large headcount in the office you'd be joining and also check to make sure you would not spend 100% of your time on portfolio companies.

 

I interviewed with 3i and I can confirm that the headcounts are being reduced and that they are more focused on investments outside of the traditional PE. I still think that the experience if you can join them would be very favorable and I would assume that you can learn a lot there, too.

Another important aspect for you is that you are looking at an internship here, which means you will probably apply to other places, and having 3i on your CV will definitely be a plus, especially if your current firm is rather unknown (in London for example).

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

Agree - having a big brand on your CV will be most helpful at the beginning of your career, even if the experience is not as good as with another (smaller) fund which is actually investing on the PE side. Simon has done a lot to improve 3i's reputation so the brand in the market is still good (even if employee morale might be low still).

 

From what I hear their flagship fund (Eurofund V, 2006) is now post its investment period and they have to go off their balance sheet until they raise a new fund - but that's just based on rumours. They have been extremely active trying to sell some of their key holdings to improve the return profile of their fund and return some cash to shareholders. Not sure where they're at currently with a new PE fund.

 

I dont think 3i is a sinking ship, taking into account the reorganization. Additionally, I dont think this is very relevant for an intern, assuming a sufficient deal exposure

I was already so far beyond the point of no return that I couldn't remember what it had looked like when I had passed it.
 

I worked on a deal with them, they seemed fine, pretty sharp, nothing greater or less than other sponsors. I've been told their strategy is to "scatter seeds" namely, buy loads of companies early in development and bank on a fact that a number will be successful. However, don't know this for a fact, was told it by a senior guy at my place. Seen as a good shop though in the market.

 

Quo quibusdam temporibus earum repellendus. Ullam molestiae ut dolores qui. Dolorem voluptatem cum dignissimos in natus mollitia nihil temporibus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 99.0%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (22) $569
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (90) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (204) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (387) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (29) $154
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (314) $59
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”