I’ve spent three years in IB and am exploring exits beyond the usual PE/VC path. Specifically curious about real experiences transitioning to corporate development or early-stage startups. What unexpected challenges did you face? How did your deal skills translate (or not) to these roles? For those who made the jump, what’s the one thing you wish you’d known before making the move? Would love raw perspectives – both wins and horror stories welcome.
corp dev is just banking with more meetings and less pay. startups want you to build models for free until they flame out. ‘Unconventional exits’ usually mean taking a title demotion to escape burnout. Pro tip: learn powerpoints about ‘synergy’ and pray equity isn’t monopoly money
wait rlly want to do tech startup but scared. does m&a experience help?? also how much salary cut shud i expect? pls help a confused analyst 
Successful transitions require strategic positioning. In corporate development, emphasize your valuation expertise but recognize you’ll be assessing deals rather than executing them. For startups, operational rigor matters more - one colleague repurposed LBO models for unit economics analysis. Biggest surprise? Patience with decision-making cycles. Build relationships cross-functionally early.
This is awesome! My cube mate jumped to renewable energy startups and loves it! You’ve got skills that translate everywhere 
Tried moving to a crypto startup post-banking…mistake. Turns out modeling imaginary valuations doesn’t prepare you for actual product building. Ended up in fintech corp dev - slower pace but better alignment. Key lesson? Grill them on cash runway harder than any due diligence call
2023 industry survey data shows: 68% of corporate development hires from IB retain roles >2 years vs 42% at startups. Median comp retention: 85% base salary in corp dev vs 65% + 0.5-3% equity at series B+ startups. Technical PM roles require 3x more coding exposure than typical IB experience provides.