Wall Street Oasis

In this episode, learn how @mstrat spent three years in a large consulting firm before making the jump to a middle-market private equity firm. Learn about the recruiting process for consulting out of undergrad, how he leveraged two internship offers to get into the city and group he wanted, how to position yourself for private equity recruiting coming from a consulting background and what resources he used to land the offer (hint, you might have heard of it before...)

In this episode, an old high school classmate of mine, Peter Christodoulo shares his winding path and how he ended up as a Partner at a private equity megafund, Francisco Partners in SF. We hear about what happened to the tech startup he launched during undergrad at Harvard, his analyst days in investment banking at Credit Suisse, his jump to private equity at TH Lee and finally, his lateral move to the small London office at Francisco Partners during the great financial crisis. Listen to hear his views on where the private equity market is headed, the trend toward hiring from non-traditional channels as well as the differences across the PE market in London compared to San Francisco. Stay to the end to hear his advice on how to help differentiate yourself in a competitive recruiting process.

In this episode, Justin shares his impressive path with us. We cover how he was able to break into Goldman Sachs on the high yield trading desk directly out of a non-target university, what his internships were like, how he was able to build relationships and what has changed now that he has moved to the buyside at Oaktree. Listen to hear how his work ethic, interpersonal skills and attitude made all of the difference. 

In this episode, Joshua shares his path from Princeton to investment banking at Credit Suisse. Learn why it wasn't a great fit for him, his surprising transition out, the risks and benefits of not having a clear direction and how he landed at an exciting small business experiencing rapid growth. I really enjoyed this chat because there was a lot of honest reflection about burnout, private equity recruiting, trying to find your way and the importance of exploration and faith in your abilities to find interesting opportunities - many which you'd never know about unless you were actively looking. 

In this episode, Douglas Rogers shares his long and winding path after graduating from Cornell in 1996. We learn about his stint as a broker-dealer, his time as an associate portfolio manager for ultra-high net worth individuals, as well as what happened when he founded his own advisory firm only a few years out of school. Listen to hear where there were pitfalls, the lessons he learned and why after several stints at senior positions at boutique IBs ...he has decided to become CEO again with the launch of Semi Cap Equity Partners. 

In this episode, Kevin shares with us his path from a top consulting firm in Germany to helping run a startup accelerator in Shanghai. Learn why he made the jump to China, the differences in the venture capital and startup space in China compared to the US, what his plans are for the future and the realities now with Covid-19 in Shanghai. Management Consulting Insights - Youtube Kevin Jon Linkedin

In this episode, @imsurance shares what he did during his senior year when he realized his dream of going to medical school wasn't going to happen. We learn how he graduated from Emory and went straight to a back-office role at a large financial services firm, but kept focused on his ultimate goal of breaking into investment banking. As part of this path, he was able to successfully transition to the middle office of a top bulge bracket investment bank and eventually break into Booth for his MBA. Listen to the end for some wise advice. 

In this episode, Steph shares his very unusual path into venture capital. We learn how his lack of a traditional background both helped and hurt him repeatedly throughout his career. Listen to find out why he thinks he was successful and why when you drop out of VC it's so hard to get back in. Learn one piece of critical advice he'd give his younger self and his future plans. 

In this episode, Jason Scott, former managing director at Deutsche on the derivatives sales desk talks with me about his 20+ years in finance. With stints at Barclays and Credit Suisse, Jason has an interesting perspective, especially since he also worked in a variety of locations including in London, Singapore and Hong Kong. We learn what it was like on Black Monday back in 1987 as a trader on the floor, the transition from trader to sales as well as how he thought about each successive jump in his career. Listen as he gives one piece of critical career advice near the end.

In this episode, Jeff Sands, a veteran of corporate turnarounds shares his winding path. Learn why a graduate from the south moved to Alaska for 10 years, why he got his MBA, how he transitioned to his family business and what he did when they were wiped out. This is a very interesting episode, especially in light of how Covid 19 is rocking financial markets and economies around the world. Check out his timely book: https://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Turnaround-Artistry-Business-Days/dp/1119539986#customerReviews