Day: 1, The investment banking industry
The most anticipated moment of my summer has arrived. I will begin as an Investment Banking Analyst at ForeFront Capital in New York. For the next 50+ days 7 Time Square will be the field I will be competing on. Arriving at seat was a long journey. The journey began in February. After a round of interviews. With an exploding offer I accepted a position at Brown Brothers and Harriman in the field of auditing. My studies have been focused on Finance and Economics. After considering my decision I did not believe this opportunity would allow me to display my best performance. Weeks later I was offered a position at Forefront Capital Markets.
Forefront Capital is a global financial services firm and, together with its subsidiaries, provides alternative investment management, investment banking and capital markets services. The foundation of Forefront is its ability to attract highly respected and influential business leaders. Our unique community and relationships provide opportunities typically not available to boutique firms. We view our clients as long-term partners and aim to add value beyond capital raising and advisory services.
What motivated me to apply to Forefront Capital was the unique environment they have created. Being a boutique investment bank allows for the members of the team to work together throughout the whole deal. I was not sure whether I wanted to raise equity, debt, or work on M&A. At a boutique I have thus far been able to oversee all of these operations. Forefront is unique because it is built on veteran personnel. Forefront is able to attract mid market deals because of the highly respected personal available.
Over the next 9 weeks I expect to:
- Perform valuation analyses using various methodologies including discounted cash flow, leveraged buyout, trading comparables, and transaction comparable
- Build detailed financial models to evaluate performance under various operating scenarios and to analyze the impacts of various capital structures and potential M&A transactions
- Prepare presentation materials for use in client meetings, covering topics such as strategic alternatives, capital markets activity and general corporate finance
- Participate in all stages of transaction executions, from the pitch phase through to closing
- Coordinate efforts with deal team members across the Investment Bank