This week marks the conclusion of our team’s internship at Ellery Partners. First, I have to thank Orlando and Jalen for giving me the opportunity to contribute this summer. I think that my time at Ellery Partners was a great way to gain hands-on finance, and more specifically private equity, insight. I got to understand what makes a good acquisition target from two different lenses. On the brokered side, I dived into comprehensive overviews of companies’ background and financials. From there, I had to assess whether a company was a good fit for Ellery’s business thesis. On the proprietary side, I went on a fact finding mission about different companies, trying to gauge whether it was worth trying to set up a phone call with the owner. Additionally, I have to thank Orlando for the training sessions that he ran on Sunday. During these sessions, he went over how value is created in private equity. These sessions were extremely informative, and it was great to learn about these topics from a seasoned private equity veteran.

I also have to thank the other Ellery interns. Obviously, with COVID-19, we were unfortunately unable to work in the same physical location. Instead, the team was located in different parts of the country, from Florida to Illinois. However, Jalen set up daily scrums for the team, where we shared our progress. I recognize that Jalen didn’t really need to do this, but he made a conscious effort to build a sense of team among the intern class. I’m very appreciative. We were always asking each other questions and sharing best practices, which ultimately made us more successful and the internship more enjoyable. I’m excited to see the great places everybody ends up and what company Orlando and Jalen ultimately acquire!