Hey there! My name is Russell Yue, and I’m a Vice President with Tru Arrow Partners in New York City where I focus on technology and late stage venture investments. Prior to Tru Arrow, I was an investor with H.I.G. Capital, where I helped start the firm’s new late stage venture/growth investment practice. Before H.I.G., I was an investor on the growth stage investment team at Greycroft. I also previously worked in financial planning & analysis at Fastly, where I helped the company raise $75 million during its Series D fundraise. I graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business Finance. Happy to chat with anyone about (1) entrepreneurship and working at a startup/scaleup, (2) technology and venture investing, (3) nontraditional career paths after college, or (4) anything else I can be helpful with!

My name is Henry Johnson and I am currently a Senior Private Equity Associate at The Carlyle Group based in Washington D.C. I support our U.S. Buyout strategy within Corporate Private Equity, focusing on investments in the Aerospace, Defense and Government Services sectors. Prior to joining Carlyle in 2019, I spent three years in Investment Banking at Jefferies in New York, focusing on transactions in the Aerospace & Aviation sectors. Originally from New York City, I attended Wake Forest University for undergrad, where I majored in Economics. I have pursued a career in finance as I have found the high-velocity, strategy-intensive nature of the work to be intellectually stimulating and rewarding. I have also greatly enjoyed the relationships I have been able to foster professionally and therefore look forward to hearing from others in/entering the finance career path. If you are considering a transition from investment banking into private equity or simply would like to hear more about my experiences in either role, please reach out to proformafutures@gmail.com and the team will coordinate a call.

My name is Chase Cormier and I currently work in corporate development at IES Holdings, a holding company with four operating divisions in the construction and infrastructure space. Prior to IES, I spent time as a private equity associate in New York City with ORIX Capital Partners and DFW Capital Partners. I started my career in finance with RBC Capital Markets in the Power, Utilities and Infrastructure group in Houston. I graduated from North Carolina State University in 2013 with a degree in Agricultural Business Management with a minor in Economics. I have experience helping students considering a career in investment banking or private equity and understand the challenges of coming from a school that is not heavily recruited at. If you'd like to chat, please reach out to proformafutures@gmail.com and the team will coordinate a call.

Hi - my name is Aneesh Bhattacharya and I am an investment professional on the Controlled Environment Foods team at Equilibrium Capital, a sustainability-driven investment firm.

Prior to joining Equilibrium, I worked at the Forest Road Company where I focused on a structured investment strategy which provided capital to early-stage renewable energy developers. Earlier in my career, I was a member of the investment team at Union Capital, a lower middle market private equity firm focused on investments in the food manufacturing, business services and franchise restaurant spaces. In this role, I worked across investment, portfolio operations, and fund management responsibilities for Union Capital's first institutional fund. I began my career in the Industrials investment banking group at Jefferies.

I hold an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a B.A. from Vanderbilt University.

I’ve been lucky enough to have mentors in both banking and PE who have helped me to grow and develop and I would like to help others do the same. If you have an interest in private equity, private credit, sustainability, or business school, I'd be happy to chat!

Hello! My name is Michael Zhang. I’m currently a strategic finance senior director at GoGuardian. Prior to GoGuardian, I spent time as a tech growth investor at Sumeru Equity Partners, buyout investor at H.I.G. Capital’s Advantage Fund, and leveraged finance investment banker at Nomura. I’ve always been passionate about business, and I initially pursued finance for the opportunity to interact with a wide array of companies, industries, and management teams. After spending 5 years in finance, I decided to switch over to an operator role at GoGuardian to get closer to the ground in terms of driving change and creating value within businesses. As both LGBTQIA+ and a minority, I’m excited to share my experience with you as you evaluate potential career paths within investment banking, private equity, and/or corporate finance as well as provide any help with interview prep.

I am currently a private equity associate at The Riverside Company based in San Francisco, CA. Prior to joining Riverside, I was a private equity associate at Comvest Partners in West Palm Beach, FL and I began my career in investment banking at Piper Sandler in Minneapolis, MN. I graduated from St. Olaf College, a liberal arts school in Northfield, MN, with a B.A. in math and economics with a finance emphasis. Initially, I decided to pursue finance because I saw it as a combination of my two majors, math and economics, and looked at finance as a way for me to apply what I was learning in the "real world" (rarely talked about at a liberal arts school!). I then decided to pursue investment banking (i) because of pure luck that I was introduced to it my sophomore year by a few seniors during investment club and (ii) because I wanted to start my career somewhere where I would be constantly challenged and learning. Feel free to reach out if you are looking to get into middle market investment banking or private equity. Additionally, I am happy to speak to anyone who is interested in lateraling between private equity firms as I went through this process in the transition from Comvest to Riverside.

My name is Maxwell Wang and I am currently a private equity associate at The Carlyle Group within the global infrastructure private equity team. I began my career at Citigroup as a project finance analyst, where I focused on structuring debt instruments for infrastructure projects. I graduated from Cornell University in 2021 with a B.Sc. in Industrial and Labor Relations. I pursued a career in finance after learning about the industry from peers in various student organizations on campus, and am excited to help others pursue their own career path.

My name is Keshav Sota and I am originally from Parsippany, New Jersey and attended NYU Stern where I graduated with a degree in Finance. I am currently an Associate at EQT Partners in the Active Core Infrastructure Group, and was previously at BlackRock in their Global Infrastructure Fund and at Citi in the Global Industrials Group. 

I would be more than happy to help in any capacity, whether it's understanding the basics of what a career in finance looks like to helping with resume development & interview prep. 

I am an associate on the portfolio operations team at L Catterton, a global consumer-focused private equity firm. In my role at L Catterton I work to enhance investment returns by driving operational improvement in our portfolio companies. I was previously a consultant at Kearney in their Strategic Operations practice. I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2018 where I studied finance and management. I chose an initial career in consulting because I was excited by the idea of working on a wide variety of business problems across different industries. Consulting provides an awesome foundation of skills to launch into almost any business career, so it's a great option if you don't know exactly what type of job you want to pursue. I know the idea of "consulting" can be super vague and opaque, so I'm happy to chat about what a career as a consultant looks like, guide you through the various types of consulting, interview prep, or really anything that might be helpful. Don't be afraid to reach out!

I am Peter, and I am an analyst at Deutsche Bank, working on companies in the Healthcare sector. Previously, I was at NYU Stern pursuing a B.S. in Finance and Econometrics. While in college, I tried many different career options, interning at a venture capital fund, at a startup in the Silicon Valley, and in sustainability consulting. Eventually, I landed my interest in investment banking, and being able to work with and understand these companies powering Corporate America has truly kept me going. My investment banking experience prior to Deutsche Bank was at Credit Suisse as a 2023 summer intern - a complex situation, but also a great story to tell! I am more than happy to share about my journey so far to investment banking, or to discuss anything that may be helpful.

Hello, my name is R.J. Shamberger. I am currently a first-year private equity analyst at Partners Group, a Swiss-based private markets firm. I am based out of Denver, CO and rotating on our integrated investments team where we focus on primaries, secondaries, and co-investments. I am originally from Charlotte, NC, and earned my BA in Economics from Williams College in 2020. I spent my first year post-college as a teaching assistant at a New England prep school before transitioning into my current role. As someone with a non-traditional background, I initially found breaking into finance a daunting task but through building connections and exploring my passions I bridged my own path. I am happy to share the ins-and-outs of how I worked my way from the classroom to the desk and the lessons I learned along the way.

My name is Olivia Schilsky and I am currently a second year Private Equity Analyst at PA Capital in Richmond, VA. I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2019, with a BA in Business Administration and Leadership Studies and a concentration in Finance. As the daughter of a small business owner and entrepreneur I had always been drawn to the business world, but until attending college I knew nothing about finance. I chose to pursue a career in finance because I wanted to be challenged and surrounded by like-minded, intellectually curious, and determined people. I understand how intimidating the intricacies of the finance world can be, and I'm here to help! I can help you decide if finance is for you or guide you towards which career path may be the best fit. Happy to connect about school (lessons learned and most valuable classes taken), internships, recruiting, interviews (how to tell your story), private equity career paths (traditional and non-traditional), networking, and different ways to get your foot in the door. Can’t wait to chat!

I am currently an analyst in the legacy Credit Suisse LevFin / Sponsors / M&A group at Santander LA. While earning a double major in Finance and Philosophy, I collected a diverse set of experiences working as an EMT, in agriculture, non-profits, private equity, and investment banking – developing an interest in impact private equity along the way. Coming from a non-target, I secured a middle market healthcare coverage investment banking analyst role, and have since lateraled to a top LevFin / Sponsors group. I am happy to discuss my experiences navigating the lateral process with top tier groups, along with the extensive networking and technical prep that is necessary especially coming from a non-target.

I’m currently an investment banking associate at Goldman Sachs and was previously an associate at G Square Capital in London. Beforehand, I was an investment banking analyst in the healthcare group at Jefferies in New York and London. I graduated from Vanderbilt with a BS in Human and Organizational Development (HOD) and a minor in financial economics. I’m originally from Kildeer, Illinois, a town not far from Chicago. I’m happy to help anyone and everyone, but if you are a non-finance major, female, college athlete, someone that wants international experience, or are interested in healthcare finance, I can answer your questions and help you prepare for the interview process with these topics in mind.

I am currently a private equity associate at Comvest Partners in West Palm Beach, Florida. Prior to joining Comvest Partners, I was an analyst at Deloitte Consulting where I focused on private equity due diligence engagements. I began my career at a consumer goods startup in China called Laiba Beverages. At Indiana University, I studied finance and Chinese. I grew up on the southside of Indianapolis.

While in college, I explored a wide range of career options including consulting, investment banking, private equity, and startups. I ultimately chose consulting for its interesting work, fun culture, and exit opportunities to private equity (as well as a myriad of other roles). I am happy to discuss the challenges of choosing a career field, recruiting for consulting, and breaking into private equity from a non-banking background. Feel free to reach out to the PFF general email or shoot me a note directly!

I currently work as a private equity associate at H.I.G. Capital in the Boston office. Prior to joining H.I.G., I was an investment banking analyst at Bank of America in the New York office, where I worked in the M&A and FIG groups. I studied Economics with a Minor in Computer Science at the University of Chicago, where I was also President of the Club Tennis team. 

I pursued a career in finance as I was intrigued by the "macro" view that it provides on how businesses interact with the economy and society as a whole, and I also wanted to be in a role where I could develop both my technical and soft skills. I can provide insights on my experiences in banking (coverage vs. product group), private equity, all stages of recruiting (internship, full-time, lateral, PE, etc.), interviewing, and broader career advice. Always happy to chat so don't hesitate to reach out!

My name is Ahan Patel and I am a private equity analyst at NewSpring Capital just outside of Philadelphia, PA. I graduated from Villanova University in the Fall of 2020 with a BBA in finance and economics. I pursued a career in finance for two reasons a) because I wanted to work in a field where I could work with, analyze, and invest in different businesses; b) I wanted to be surrounded by driven and ambitious people who wanted a career path with more involvement than the traditional 9-5, like myself. I’m happy to help out with any questions anyone may have regarding investment banking or private equity, as I recruited for and interned in both fields. Many people choose to enter finance through investment banking; given that I took a slightly different path, I’d love to be a resource for anyone looking to enter private equity directly from undergrad.

Hello! My name is Kenny Mleko and I am a private equity associate at Waud Capital Partners. Previously, I was an analyst in the regional M&A group at J.P. Morgan in New York City. Prior to banking, I spent just over a year at Wells Fargo Securities and graduated from both Vanderbilt’s M.S. Finance program and Loyola University Chicago. It was not until the end of my junior year at Loyola that I first heard the words investment banking. It was still several months after that when I began to realize what it takes to break into the industry. If you have made it to this website, you probably have a better understanding of Wall Street recruiting than I ever did, but please shoot me a note if you are looking for guidance on your ‘path’. Through a combination of luck, graciousness, and a lot of cold emails, I had more people than I can remember share with me their journeys into banking, and I owe it to them to pay it forward.

My name is Robert Mitchell and I am currently a private equity senior associate at GTCR, a private equity firm based in Chicago, IL. GTCR focuses on leveraged buyouts of middle and upper middle market businesses in the Business & Consumer Services, Healthcare, Financial Services & Technology, and Technology Media & Telecommunications industries. I started my career as an analyst at GTCR in the Business & Consumer Services group. I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and graduated with highest honors in 2020 with a B.S. in Finance. I'm happy to discuss any questions related to recruiting, day-to-day responsibilities, technical knowledge needed, or personal navigation of all things Private Equity. 

My name is Max Meyer, and I am currently and MBA student at Wharton. Prior to Wharton, I was a Private Equity Associate at TH Lee. Previously, I was an Investment Banking Analyst at Goldman Sachs in NYC and in investment banking at Stifel in the TMT M&A practice. I graduated from Tulane University in 2019 with a B.S.M. in Finance. I did my summer internship at J.P. Morgan in the middle market banking group. I took a bit of a circuitous route to land my current role and have learned valuable lessons along the way. My impetus for working in investment banking was largely shaped by my deep passion for learning and desire to excel in intense environments. Finance has always intrigued me, and I took my time to figure out where exactly I wanted to drive my professional endeavors. Throughout my career, I have participated in summer analyst recruiting, full-time recruiting, and lateral recruiting. If you need advice on any of these areas, please reach out to me!