LMM PE in Miami Now or IB in NYC?

Hey everyone. I've really appreciated the insight I have came across here. I have a pretty big life decision to make and would appreciate some opinions.  

I am currently doing IB at a MM investment bank outside of NYC and have just under two years of FT experience. The firm is not on the Vault 50. I have been working mainly on LMM sell-side deals and have no public deal experience.  My goal has always been to transition to a better platform in NYC to get some better reps on my resume. However while I was doing a BD call, I connected with a PE guy on the phone who invited me to work for him at his PE firm in Miami. 

This guy is ex Cereberus Capital, and so are his other operating partners. But they were all short stints for each (about 3 yrs). He currently does not have a committed fund (fundless sponsor), but I have seen a deck that shows his portfolio and his team is managing about $600MM in revenue across 5 platforms. He says it allows leniency on distributing comp and carry (which is accurate), which is why he hasn't decided to raise one. They've done a bunch of roll-up acquisitions and now he is opening a separately managed account for credit deals. He's got a CPA, CFA, MBA, so looks qualfiied. Currently the layout is 3 partners, 1 MD, 2 VPs, 1 Senior Associate. They are situated in Miami.

My question here is, should I take this opportunity given my background (MM IB, Only Private M&A, Small deal sizes), or work towards landing a better gig in IB? Will this pigeon hole me to LMM PE outside of NYC or will I be able to move to another more established firm in NYC if this one does not workout? I dont want to be stuck in the rat race trying to climb the ladder of a PE firm next to a bunch of other schmucks (Im a schmuck too dont worry) that seems so prevalent in NYC, and I think there is more upside and room to climb the ranks quickly if this PE firm in Miami goes well. I am also not going to know anybody down there. I think it is possible to move to NYC as I have gotten interview at top places, but haven't been able to convert which is also concerning. My end goal is PE anyways, and I am getting sick of feeling like a cuck in these interviews. esp when there are 100s of qualified applicants for one lateral analyst vacancy. 

I don't want this opportunity to go to waste now that its in front of me. I would take it if I knew what my options were in case this thing fails and goes underwater. 

 

Iure dolorem repudiandae asperiores cumque velit soluta et. Aspernatur pariatur et impedit ut.

Saepe id iusto officia excepturi recusandae voluptates. Vel non molestiae et aperiam repudiandae corrupti eveniet. Est accusamus numquam voluptate deleniti sit natus optio at.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Private Equity

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 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

March 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

March 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (21) $586
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (89) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (204) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (386) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (28) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (313) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”