A Day in the Life of an Associate at Aurora Capital Partners
A day for an investment associate at Aurora Capital Partners is highly variable, depending on the stage of a deal; Brandon describes activities ranging from "helping do interviews for a CFO candidate" to "doing general industry research" and "data analysis" to prepare presentations. This variety reflects the dynamic nature of private equity, shifting between portfolio company management and deal sourcing.
Financial Analysis, Industry Research, Portfolio Management, Presentation Skills, Communication
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Brandon Priest
Associate
Aurora Capital Partners
UC Santa Barbara
UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA
Biology & Related Sciences
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. No two days are alike, showcasing variety in tasks and responsibilities.
2. Work involves a mix of portfolio company management (e.g., candidate interviews, offer packages) and deal sourcing (industry research, expert network engagement, data analysis).
3. The focus shifts between improving existing portfolio companies and pursuing new investment opportunities depending on the firm's current needs.
Transcript
What does a day in the life of an investment associate look like?
There's really no cookie-cutter day. That might sound like a cop-out, but as I mentioned, my tasks can vary significantly.
One day I might be helping interview a CFO candidate and putting together their offer or options package. That's part of the portfolio company management side.
On another day, I could be doing general industry research. I might work with expert networks like GLG and Third Bridge to better understand an industry and determine if we want to invest.
This also extends to the analysis involved in pursuing an opportunity. It really depends on what stage of the cycle we're focused on.
If there aren't many new deals, the focus shifts to improving the portfolio companies. When there are many new deals, I'm typically on the phone with experts, doing data analysis, and preparing presentation materials.