WSO Weekly Wrap-up

July 12, 2025

Hey WSO Monkey,

Just thought to let you know in case it might be of interest - we have a Financial Modeling & Valuation Bootcamp next weekend (July 19-20), where you can learn financial modeling from a top pro with IB experience. (Limited seats!)

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. 2025 Buyouts 100 List: Top 15 PE Firms - "Looking at the list, it’s tough to argue against the top five as the best places to start a career. If you’re optimizing for brand, long-term optionality, or exits, the most established firms like Blackstone/ KKR / TPG probably stand out the most. Maybe more of an emphasis on TB if you know you want tech investing..."

  2. Q&A: Ex-T2 Consultant -> Corporate Strategy - "Since recruiting season is on us, I figured offering a Q&A could be useful. I spent a number of years in consulting, most recently at a T2 firm in Europe before making a move to a larger healthcare-focused corporate strategy role (think Big Pharma or Big MedTech)."

  3. Skip the all-nighter - "Context is the first AI office suite built for Wall Street, automating models, comps, earnings flashes, and investment memos—in your exact style, down to fonts and footnotes. Integrates Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Slack, Google Drive, CapIQ/FactSet, and 40+ others. Top funds and banks save 15–20 analyst hours weekly for high-value analysis (or more sleep)."

Your Guide to Landing a Role in Private Equity

If you are an ambitious analyst or associate looking to secure a role in private equity, you’re up against tough competition. The interviews and skills assessments won’t be a walk in the park, so preparation is everything. And it’s smart to start getting ready even before you begin networking or sending out applications.

This guide breaks down exactly what you need to know to build the skills, knowledge, and mindset top firms are looking for.

Grab your free copy of the eBook and learn how to make the move from investment banking to private equity!

Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. Has Anyone Here Made It Big/Successful in Brokerage? - "I have friends who are 10-12 years in. They found a great team, joined, haven’t left. Both by year 5 & 6 thought about moving to the principal side but saw their upside in brokerage and decided to stay. They work around the clock but also make $500-700K per year. They enjoy it but it takes a special person..."

  2. Are MF Modelling Tests Changing? My Experience - "I'd encourage you guys to zoom out. In real associate life, your LBO is built upon a pre-built template with tweaks around the edges but not much wholesale intellectual thought. The actual meat of modeling is designing a thoughtful operating case to capture the nuances of each deal that you're evaluating. Therefore, these tests are smartly testing your ability to actually think and defend assumptions, not just your ability to memorize how to make a cookie-cutter LBO. I totally acknowledge that time limits make it hard to do both, but the latter is actually a better test for how someone will perform at the job, so I'm glad that firms are finding means to incorporating testing for this skill..."

  3. Best Shows to Unwind? - "Looking for shows similar to Succession and Billions. Any particular recommendations?"

  4. Citi Update - Culture, Hours - "Any update on Citi regarding the investment banking / M&A group? What about culture and hours at associate level?"

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • UCLA to William Blair | Chat with Andrew | WSO Academy

  • Western University to BMO Capital Markets | Chat with Devin | WSO Academy

  • University of Toronto to Scotiabank | Chat with Aditya | WSO Academy

Hot Jobs 💼

AI Tutor - Finance Specialist - "You will be instrumental in enhancing the capabilities of our cutting-edge technologies by providing high-quality input and labels using specialized software. Your role involves collaborating closely with our technical team to support the training of new AI tasks, ensuring the implementation of innovative initiatives..."

Venture Capital Associate (Life Sciences, Boston-based) - "The team is seeking an Investment Associate to join as a generalist across their three sector focuses (biotech, digital health/tech, and tools/diagnostics) in Boston metro with an ASAP or Summer 2025 start date..."

Equity Research Analyst - "Buy-side research analyst opportunity with a family office. The analyst will work with the direct investment team and report to the Portfolio Manager. The team employs a fundamentally driven investment process and an owner’s mentality...."

Research Associate (Equity Small Mid Cap) - New York, NY - "This position will support the Small/Mid-Cap Equity research team and initially be responsible for covering multiple sectors in support of current team members."

On Deck - Training 🎓

All in Eastern Standard Time

Stay Strong,
Patrick Curtis
CEO and Founder, WallStreetOasis.com

WSO Mobile App: iOS | Android

PS - We're also always looking to add resume reviewers and WSO Mentors to our team. Set your own pay (from $40/hr to up to $400/hr) to increase or decrease mentee flow. To submit an application, go here.

PPS - Think you have an interesting story? Want to share it with our podcast listeners? Hit reply and let me know!




* PE Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the PE Interview Course
** FMV Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the Elite Modeling Package
*** IB Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the IB Interview Course