Dilemma of an IBD Analyst: Tech 'Unicorn' vs. Large-Cap PE

Wise souls of WSO - I need some advice!

I've been working as an IBD analyst at a BB in London for 18 months. I am deciding whether to take an offer for the in-house corp dev / finance team at a big tech unicorn or continue recruiting for PE (in the early stages of several processes, but no concrete offers yet).

On the one hand, the tech job would likely be fun / exciting and provide a broader set of experience on the strategic and operational side that would be interesting. On the other hand, my long-term ambition is still to become an investor. I would view the tech role as an interesting opportunity that I would do for a couple of years, before ultimately transitioning into PE (possibly after an MBA). 

So, WSO, my question is this - how would PE firms view someone who did 18 months at in BB IBD followed by a similar stint in-house at a tech unicorn (possibly also followed by an MBA)? Does this take me out of the running for traditional PE shops, who would typically hire IBD analysts directly after 2-3 years? I imagine that more growth-oriented shops might find this interesting, but would I put myself out of the running for more traditional buyout funds and possibly close some doors?

I would envisage continuing to work in London, if that makes any difference.

Any advice on this and any potential additional implications of recruiting post an MBA would be greatly appreciated. What would you do?

 
Most Helpful

Does this take me out of the running for traditional PE shops, who would typically hire IBD analysts directly after 2-3 years?

In the US, very likely

I imagine that more growth-oriented shops might find this interesting

 This probably is true for the Lightspeed Growth / Sequoia Growth / A16Z Growth firms of the world, but less true (not impossible) for something like a MF growth arm (e.g., CVC) or a larger firm like GA. This is conjecture, by me.

 

Thanks, really helpful. Do you think the same would apply in London vs. the USA (given I understand that recruiting is generally slightly less structured in Europe, i.e. you still see associates moving to the buyside, not as rigid as the US etc)? Would this also apply post-MBA (i.e. do you need pre-MBA PE experience to recruit post-MBA, generally speaking)? Thanks again :)

 

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