Thomas Weisel Partners has product teams that specialize in public offerings, private placements, and advisory transactions—which are tightly integrated with the industry groups. As an Associate, I have been able to work closely with these teams throughout the process, gaining direct exposure to an array of transaction types. During my first month on the job, I was staffed on a sellside M&A engagement where we sold a restaurant group to a private equity investor. My next two deals were a private placement for a publicly-held retailer that was expanding a new concept and an IPO for a growing specialty retailer. The industry groups are tightly integrated with the specialist M&A and private placements groups, and as an Associate I work closely with these teams throughout the process. Being able to participate on breadth of transactions allows me improve my overall investment banking skill set.

As part of both live deals and business development opportunities, a key part of my daily routine as an Associate is client interaction. We typically work directly with CEOs, CFOs and other senior executives in our engagements, which is a great learning experience. On a recent sellside M&A deal, I served as the primary contact with the company’s CFO for due diligence, drafting of offering materials and coordination of management presentations. I also played a significant role in interacting with potential buyers during the due diligence and bidding process. The ability to interface directly with industry professionals enables me to experience the industries that I cover and think about strategic decisions from their perspective.

My favorite aspect of working at Thomas Weisel Partners is the ability to take on advanced responsibilities due to the results-oriented nature of the firm. I found that once I established my core skill set, I was encouraged to proactively seek out opportunities to step up and contribute at a higher level. I have not been limited by a traditional job description or reporting structure, but rather my colleagues and I are permitted to take on new tasks as we are ready. After a number of transactions and becoming more familiar with the team, I was asked to step up on a recent private placement deal. My role accelerated to serving as the point person for drafting the offering materials and assisting in determining which investors to contact, making calls and facilitating due diligence.

The ability to work beyond the traditional Associate role is founded in the strong team-oriented culture that is present at Thomas Weisel Partners. The investment bankers at the firm, from Managing Directors through Analysts, are focused on providing sound advice to clients, driving deal flow and achieving superior results. I regularly interact with all members of the team, which improves the learning experience and fosters a supportive environment. Whether I am refining a positioning section of a pitch book with a Managing Director, coordinating investor calls with a Vice President or reviewing a merger model with an Analyst, I can rely on my teammates to be focused on the same goal.

I am a strong believer in Thomas Weisel Partners’ business model and see great things to come from the firm. The exclusive focus on growth companies provides a distinct advantage from many established investment banks and the energized culture of the firm creates an exciting work environment. If you are looking for an investment banking experience that will allow you to build a comprehensive skill set, make an immediate impact and quickly excel, then you should seriously consider becoming a part of the Thomas Weisel Partners team.