Resources for Private Equity Cases?

Question

What kind of cases and questions should one expect in impact investing/private equity interviews?

Would appreciate any resources :)

Answer 1

Honestly, any case.

Market Entry:
- Corporate Case: Should we enter this market?
- Private Equity Case: Should the company we own enter this market?
Profitability
- Corporate: How can we reduce costs?
- Private Equity: How can the company we own reduce costs?

These are just two examples to show that in reality, you still can get any case. But since a lot of PE (consulting) work is related to Commercial Due Diligence, most cases will be about the things you have to do to test the investment thesis: market estimations; growth; market entry; performance improvement; synergies.

Cases may be framed as “PE case” or not. In some cases it doesn't make any difference. You have to listen carefully to the prompt to understand what is the exact context.

I train candidates on these topics using real (retired) cases for PE recruiting.

Answer 2

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

First of all, can you please clarify whether you want to apply for the private equity practice of a consulting firm or for a private equity firm?
In the former case, you should be well prepared for all types of cases related to the acquisition (even though this is technically not the job of consultants) as well as value creation.
In the latter case, you should focus more on due diligence topics and value creation.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming private equity-related interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen