Post-MBA Associate -> PE

Hey guys. I'm currently in non-target MBA program (~20), coming from ~2.5 years of working at a 750m+ private equity family office. Prior to that I spent 2.5 years in Asset Management investing across all asset classes for institutional clients and got my CFA.

I decided to go back to b-school to expand my network and check the banking box and get some additional branding on the resume/to gain greater perspective on the sell-side. During my GMAT, for whatever reason I bombed the quant and didn't give myself enough time to readjust before I had already committed to leaving my firm. So making the best of the cards I've got, I'm currently I'm targeting execution groups at the major top tier BBs, and at one of the EBs.

Curious if any of you have any suggestions about things to do/avoid if my ultimate goal is to return to PE. Better to take a FT role at an IB as an associate and try to transition back to PE after a year or 2, or to do the IB internship and not go for an offer if I get one and try to go immediately back? Any advice/suggestions/anecdotes would be appreciated.

 

Your story honestly doesn't make a lot of sense. You were in PE, but decided to go to b-school to "check the banking box" and "expand your network", and then hope to get back into PE? Most people use banking a springboard to PE, not the other way around.

I think it will be tough to break into PE coming out of b-school banking, because you will be trying to break in as a senior associate, which is tough as it is, but following a non-traditional path (banking associate). I guess the best thing you could do is leverage your previous PE firm / network to see if you could get your foot in somewhere.

 
Best Response

I'm sorry but if you wanted to stay in PE you should have either stayed at your family office or tried to lateral as an Associate.

Your MBA brand will likely be a huge hurdle for PE shops to clear and you have to keep in mind they are sourcing post MBA Sr. Associates / junior VPs from MBA business schools ">M7, not top 20. There is always a chance you can get back in as a junior IB associate but man that's a really really tough path. Wish you the best.

 

Not to pile on here, but from a 750M family office, why not stay there and move up, from what I hear family offices are a pretty good life. But ok I get you want to go back for an MBA.

The big issue is not doing well enough to get into a top school. If you're borderline top 20, you should have known from some basic research that those schools don't place back into PE.

You're going to have to hustle for a Post-MBA role at a small shop or ask the family office if you can go back. With your background you can probably do IBD at a BB, but thats going to be a brutal life coming from a family office. You'll probably make about the same with 2x the hours.

Banking Associate to PE also makes very little sense and is a tough path to navigate. Anyways good luck to you.

 

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