What I Told an Imperial Student About Breaking Into Private Equity скачать в хорошем качестве

What I Told an Imperial Student About Breaking Into Private Equity

How do you break into private equity? In this video, I'm speaking with an Imperial College student from Singapore about the roadmap to entering PE — including networking strategies, building a thesis, PE secondaries, and whether you need investment banking first. This student came to the UK with zero network. Here's the three-pronged approach I gave him to break into private equity. 📌 WHAT WE COVER IN THIS VIDEO: 0:00 — The challenge: no London network, international student 1:00 — The three-pronged networking approach 2:00 — How to make the ask small (50-80 messages, 10% conversion) 3:00 — Networking for small firms vs big firms (Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan) 4:00 — UK vs US: why networking is determinative in America 5:00 — PE secondaries: a massively growing asset class 6:00 — Building a clear thesis: does it make sense that you want PE? 7:00 — What PE firms actually do: buy, improve, sell 8:00 — The typical path: bulge bracket IB → mega fund PE 9:00 — Building your experience bank and profile 10:00 — LBO models, financial modelling, and value creation levers — 🎯 THE THREE-PRONGED NETWORKING APPROACH: 1. *Make the ask small* Send 50-80 messages. Keep it simple: "Hi, I'm interested in your industry. Do you have 5 minutes?" The ask is low. Some reject. But 10% conversion = 5-8 conversations. 2. *Network with maximum output* Message people with shared backgrounds — same university, same nationality, same society. Subconscious factors help. A Singaporean at Imperial messaging another Singaporean in London? That connection matters. 3. *Network at small firms AND big firms* Small boutique PE firms, asset managers — these are accessible and often hire through networking. Big firms (Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, KKR) — networking gives you insights into culture, deals, and interview prep. — 💡 THE THESIS FOR PRIVATE EQUITY: PE firms want to see a clear profile that makes sense: → Are you in the PE society at Imperial, UCL, or LBS? → Are you writing articles on value creation levers? → Are you networking with PE professionals? → Can you build LBO models? The profile has to make sense. It's not arbitrary. — 🔁 THE TYPICAL PATH TO MEGA FUND PE: If you want Apollo, KKR, Blackstone, or Carlyle — the mechanism is usually: 1. Bulge bracket investment banking (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan) 2. M&A team, FIG team, or TMT team 3. Exit to PE after 2-3 years There are exceptions (Lazard, Citi, direct entry) but IB is the most common route. — 📚 WHAT TO BUILD NOW: → Join the PE society at your university → Write articles on value creation → Network with PE professionals → Complete Forage or online modelling courses → Build LBO models independently → Get mentorship from someone in PE PE internships are the hardest to get — there are so few firms and so few spots. Build the foundation now. — 🔗 WORK WITH ELITE CAREERS STRATEGY: We've helped clients secure offers in PE secondaries and private equity internships at top firms. We help candidates land offers at private equity firms (Blackstone, KKR, Apollo, Carlyle), investment banks (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan), and top law firms (Kirkland & Ellis, White & Case). Our proprietary frameworks: ✅ VTMR™ — CV framework (Value, Transferability, Metrics, Relevance) ✅ STAR-3™ — Competency interview answer framework ✅ Commercial Fluency™ — Deep commercial awareness methodology ✅ BDC™ — Business Development Curriculum 📱 FOLLOW: Instagram: @elitecareersstrategy TikTok: @elitecareersstrategy LinkedIn: Hassan Akram — 🔍 RELATED SEARCHES: How to get into private equity, private equity internship, breaking into PE, private equity networking, PE secondaries, Imperial College finance, international student private equity, Goldman Sachs to private equity, KKR internship, Blackstone internship, Apollo careers, LBO model, private equity interview, investment banking to PE exit — ABOUT HASSAN AKRAM: Founder of Elite Careers Strategy. Former recruiter across venture capital, private equity, corporate law, and investment banking. UCL graduate. Delivered MBA sessions at Harvard Business School, Yale School of Management, and MIT Sloan. Advised UC Berkeley students on private equity and high finance entry. Times of India columnist (40M+ readership). 5 UK-registered trademarks. #privateequity #pe #blackstone #kkr #apollo #investmentbanking #goldmansachs #morganstanley #imperialcollege #networking #financecareers #elitecareers #careeradvice