Pros
Pros: I worked at Bowstring Advisors for 3 years. The most attractive thing about the firm is the culture. The culture is both competitive and yet collaborative. There is a true “open door” policy with the senior bankers who are always willingly to incorporate junior bankers’ thoughts and perspectives on different ways of doing things. Senior management has done an amazing job creating an environment that truly enables junior bankers to grow both professional and personally. As a senior analyst, I was able to run with a lot of M&A transaction deliverables (financial model, due diligence, etc.) which provided me unparallel access to our clients (e.g. CEOs and CFOs of middle market businesses). I have numerous friends at bulge bracket firms and the level of interaction that I get with clients is by far the best compared to my peers. As a junior banker, I had the support and guidance from the senior bankers who truly wanted to see me succeed. Bowstring was committed to my overall professional career advancement and I truly felt like the company was committed and invested in my future.
Cons
Cons: Because Bowstring is a high-growth company there can sometimes be a lack of formal structure regarding analyst training and job placement post matriculation of the analyst two-year program. However, when I initiated conversations with senior bankers, they were eager to help me figure out what I wanted to do next. In fact, one of the bankers went to The Wharton School, which is where I am headed this fall.