Before starting my internship at Ellery Partners, my freshman year consisted of gaining deeper insight into the investment banking lifestyle and recruiting process, and learning basic, fundamental skills like company research, DCF modeling, etc., and the end of the year, I found the investment banking world slightly daunting. However, my perspective changed drastically, in the other direction, after starting my internship at Ellery Partners.

Spending hours researching about smaller, lower market companies, I learned about different, diverse industries, including HOA management, and became invested in the material and learning process. Learning about scorecards, reading CIMs, creating a database of companies, being an active member of the company outreach process, and listening to lectures taught by both Orlando and Jalen, I found my opportunity to grow in knowledge, teamwork, and experience. Updating the team during our scrum meetings every day, actively working with my partner to fulfill the weekly quota, and having one-on one’s with Jalen, my boss, I felt teamwork genuinely present inside of the company, even in this virtual setting.

With Jalen’s bright personality and the highly motivated, talented, interesting and unique group of interns, I continuously find opportunities where I can learn from my peers and develop my professional and presentation skills. The welcoming nature of the virtual office has led all of us, the interns, individuals working inside of our homes to become one connected group and most importantly, a tight-knit team. From listening to each other’s feedback on our weekly industry pitches to sharing resources for analyzing companies, I always feel comfortable asking and answering questions and listening to constructive feedback because of the tight-knit community and welcoming environment that the company and team has.

Recapping the past three weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about a large, diverse variety of industries from industry pitches and researching companies, and learned the specific metrics utilized during the decision process of “is this company, what we are looking for?” Listening to the pitches, I’ve learned about unique industries, including the CBD and pet wearables industry. Additionally, last week, my partner and I pitched the Yoga and Pilates industry and IT Security Consulting Industry, where I learned about industries’ megatrend growth, fragmentation, shifts in demand, volatility, and profit margins during the analysis process. Through this process, I have gained not only experience and knowledge, but a deeper understanding about private equity and search funds. I no longer find analyzing companies and the title of “investment banking” as daunting and have found a place where I find enjoyment in learning, receiving feedback, and presenting my ideas and research to others. I am beyond ecstatic to continue learning under Jalen and Orlando throughout my internship and helping them during the process of searching and acquiring a company.