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WAEveryone tells you to break into private equity through investment banking.
But here’s the truth: I never did a day in banking. I built these 4 personal projects to prove I understood investors, deals, and markets — and they worked.
Here’s exactly what I created that helped me land IR/PE interviews without a traditional finance background:
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Case 1: “Fund Teardown”
Choose a private equity fund and build a short teardown —
• What they invest in
• How they raise capital
• Performance (IRR, MOIC if available)
• Recent deals
This shows you understand the limited partner/investor perspective.
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Case 2: “Comparable Fund Deck”
Build your own mock private equity pitch deck using public comps or 13F data.
Highlight a strategy, target returns, and fundraising narrative.
This proves you understand how firms market to investors.
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Case 3: Deal Sourcing Map
Pick a niche (e.g. SaaS, consumer health) and build a list of 20+ potential acquisition targets.
Include: revenue range, recent funding, leadership, location, growth rate.
Shows you understand deal flow and sourcing.
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Case 4: “Investor Memo”
Pick a company and write a 1-page investment memo.
Include: business model, risks, exit potential, and valuation.
Think like an investor — even if you’ve never had the title.
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Don’t wait for someone to give you “experience.”
Build it yourself. Proof of work > buzzwords on a resume.
Follow for more.
#privateequity #investmentbanking #casestudy #investorrelations #finance
@wallstwardrobe
