Full-Time
Investment Banking Associate
Industrial Growth Products
William Blair
1,001-5,000 employees
Investment banking, research, brokerage, asset management
Compensation Overview
$200k/yr
Chicago, IL, USA + 1 more
More locations: New York, NY, USA
In Person
 Finance & Banking (1) |
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- Bachelor’s Degree required
- Prior investment banking experience required; 2+ years as an Investment Banking Associate strongly preferred
- Internship or prior work experience in financial services industry preferred
- SIE Exam, Series 79, and Series 63 must be acquired within 150 days of employment
- Detail oriented with strong analytical abilities
- Excellent mathematical, writing, verbal and computer skills
- Ability to adapt to new tasks with little notice
- Ability to manage expectations of senior bankers while working on multiple projects simultaneously
- Effective leadership and coaching skills
- Strong desire to win
- Sound judgement
- Deep, sophisticated understanding of accounting and finance
- Commitment to satisfying internal and external customers
- Travel required: approximately 10% to 30%
- Perform extensive financial/valuation analyses to value debt and equity for mergers, acquisitions and capital raising transactions. Utilize creative approaches to analyses that illustrate key concepts/messages. Carefully review and provide guidance to Analysts’ work.
- Build advanced financial models to value potential and actual clients and/or industries, leveraging broad understanding of valuation and broad finance/accounting topics. Demonstrate thorough knowledge of multiple client sectors. Assimilate information to perform insightful analyses.
- Lead due diligence, research, analysis and documentation of potential and live transactions. Anticipate potential deal issues and pass concerns through to team members in real time.
- Actively participates in presentation development and hypothesis testing to highlight financial analysis and research results.
- Develop, produce and deliver proposals and presentations to clients and prospects, which exhibit broad knowledge of IB product solutions and underlying components. Engage, with analysts, in the development of marketing materials that highlight the competitive advantage of William Blair.
- Actively participate in client meetings and drafting sessions.
- Research and expand expertise of industries and/or sectors. Leverage knowledge to target certain clients or industries. Monitor key industry drivers. Offer insights into business trends in sector to facilitate processes. Evaluate and improve BIC content.
- Identify improvements to processes and propose solutions to complete tasks more efficiently.
- Take ownership of client relationships. Foster effective dialogue with finance and accounting staffs to facilitate processes. Anticipate needs and challenges and provide seamless solutions.
- Demonstrate an understanding of macro factors related to client industry, investment banking products and potential implications.
- Act as “on the job” trainer for analysts, providing constructive feedback. Focus on improving the quality of analyst and summer intern work product. Ensure senior team knows the valuable contributions of all team members.
- Ensure all activities are in compliance with applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
- Additional responsibilities as requested
William Blair is a privately held, employee-owned financial services firm offering investment banking, equity research, brokerage, asset management, and private capital services. It combines advisory, research, trading, asset management, and private capital solutions to help clients raise, invest, and manage capital. Being privately held and employee-owned can influence client relationships and decision-making, and the firm provides multiple services under one roof as a single partner for diverse needs. Its goal is to help clients grow and protect capital through comprehensive financial services across advisory, research, trading, asset management, and private capital solutions.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
$409M
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany
Founded
1935
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Inner Circle acquisition expands sports, media dealmaking amid secular tailwinds.
- Underwrote Upstream Bio's $293M IPO and CAMP4 offering last week.
- Terence Tan hire bolsters biopharma team during rising healthcare IPO demand.
What critics are saying
- Inner Circle integration fails, eroding culture within 6-12 months.
- Regulatory denial blocks Inner Circle deal in 3-6 months.
- Healthcare leaders Schauenberg, Doyle poached by J.P. Morgan in 12-24 months.
What makes William Blair unique
- William Blair acquires Inner Circle Sports, dominating sports M&A advisory.
- Inner Circle advised Liverpool FC's 2010 £300M sale and Bucks' 2014 $550M buy.
- Privately held model enables client-first focus unlike bulge-bracket competitors.
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Your Connections
People at William Blair who can refer or advise you
Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave
Fertility Treatment Support
Family Planning Benefits
Paid Vacation
Wellness Program
Mental Health Support
Conference Attendance Budget
Professional Development Budget
Stock Options
Hybrid Work Options
Remote Work Options
Paid Holidays
PTO/vacation
Company News
William Blair acquires Inner Circle Sports. May 5, 2026 William Blair entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Inner Circle Sports, a boutique investment bank focused on the global sports, media, and entertainment ecosystem. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2002, Inner Circle Sports is an advisor across the sports, media, and entertainment space, including team owners, leagues, investors, sports operating companies, municipalities, universities, and media/entertainment companies. Services include buy-side and sell-side M&A, limited partner transactions, capital raising, valuations as well as debt financing. Among the deals it has advised on is Synergy Sports, PlayOn! Sports and Teamworks, as well as major team transactions, including Liverpool FC and the Philadelphia 76ers. The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval, expands William Blair's investment banking platform. Inner Circle Sports will continue to operate with its same name for a period of time post-acquisition. "Inner Circle Sports has built an outstanding franchise anchored by deep sector expertise, trusted relationships, and a strong entrepreneurial culture," William Blair Chief Executive Officer Brent Gledhill said. "Their approach aligns closely with William Blair's client-first philosophy and independent partnership model. As our investment banking activity continues to accelerate, we look forward to expanding opportunities with Inner Circle Sports across our exceptional financial services platform." "Expanding our capabilities in sports, media, and entertainment is a key strategic priority for William Blair," said Matt Zimmer, global head of investment banking. "The sector is experiencing strong secular tailwinds, spanning professional sports as well as youth and collegiate athletics, alongside meaningful opportunities across the broader sports, media, and entertainment ecosystem. Inner Circle Sports further enhances our ability to serve clients and deliver value across these markets, including our private equity clients with exposure to the asset class." "When we founded Inner Circle Sports, I could not have imagined how much the industry would evolve," said Rob Tilliss, co-founder of Inner Circle Sports. "Partnering with William Blair is a natural fit, given our shared values and their ability to further expand our platform and resources. This combination will provide our clients with even greater opportunities going forward, and we are thrilled to be joining Brent, Matt and their team." "Joining William Blair represents a compelling next chapter for Inner Circle Sports," added Steve Horowitz, co-founder of Inner Circle Sports. "Since our founding, we have been one of the most active advisors on control transactions in the team sports industry across the U.S. and Europe. We have had the privilege of supporting exceptional clients during some of their most important and visible decisions." "From our early efforts with Liverpool FC and the Philadelphia 76ers to today, we take great pride in the breadth and impact of our work across the global sports, media, and entertainment sector," Horowitz said. "Our success has been driven by the talent, integrity, and commitment of the people at Inner Circle Sports." Winston & Strawn LLP served as legal advisor to William Blair. Solomon Partners served as financial advisor and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP acted as legal advisor to Inner Circle Sports. Image courtesy William Blair
Aehr Test Systems has entered into equity distribution agreements with William Blair & Company and Craig-Hallum Capital Group. The agreements enable the semiconductor test equipment company to sell common stock to the firms, which can then distribute shares to clients through public offerings or private placements. The arrangement provides Aehr Test Systems with flexibility in raising capital as needed. Financial terms of the distribution agreements were not disclosed.
Sources: $37B Allworth exploring majority stake sale. Alex Ortolani Allworth Financial, the Folsom, Calif.-based registered investment advisor with about $36.5 billion in client assets, is in market with its majority owners, Lightyear Capital and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, for a potential sale, according to two sources familiar with the move. Allworth is working with banking firm William Blair to lead the sale process, according to the sources. Lightyear Capital and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan bought a majority stake in Allworth from Parthenon Capital in 2020, which had invested in the firm in 2017. Allworth declined to comment on the move. Lightyear Capital, Ontario Teachers and William Blair did not respond to a request for comment. Since that initial stake in 2017, Allworth has completed over 40 acquisitions and grown to about 40 offices throughout the United States. It has also boosted client assets from about $8.6 billion in 2020 to its current $36.5 billion today, according to company filings and a spokesperson. Six other executives, including CEO John Bunch, hold stakes of less than 5% in the firm, according to its most recent Form ADV. According to that filing, Allworth has recently shuttered about eight of its offices. The advisors working in them are still with the firm and working from new locations. Last year, Allworth made one of its largest acquisitions with Salzinger Sheaff Brock and Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors, which had combined assets of $1.5 billion. CEO Bunch told Wealth Management at the time the deal signaled a shift for the firm toward larger, more sophisticated firms working with higher-net-worth clients. Over half of Allworth's clients are marked in the individual category in its most recent Form ADV from March 20, signaling a strong presence in the mass affluent market. Last week, Allworth launched the Allworth Women's Collective, a firmwide initiative to accelerate the growth of its female client base and talent. Allworth will feature the Women's Collective on its website to raise clients' and prospects' awareness of the firm's female talent. The firm will also call out specific segments and specialties that may be of interest to women, such as divorcees and business owners.
Larimar Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has priced an upsized underwritten public offering of 20 million shares of common stock at $5.00 per share, raising $100 million in gross proceeds before fees. The company has also granted underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 3 million additional shares. J.P. Morgan and Guggenheim Securities are acting as joint bookrunning managers for the offering, which is expected to close on 27 February 2026. Larimar intends to use the net proceeds to support development of nomlabofusp, its lead compound for treating Friedreich's ataxia, alongside working capital and general corporate purposes including research, development and commercialisation expenses. The offering is being made pursuant to a shelf registration statement declared effective in May 2024.
Evommune, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases, has announced a $125 million private placement. The company will sell 4,494,279 shares of common stock at $27.88 per share to new and existing institutional investors. Morgan Stanley, Leerink Partners, Evercore ISI, Cantor Fitzgerald and William Blair served as placement agents, whilst Oppenheimer acted as capital markets adviser. The transaction is expected to close on 17 February 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. Evommune plans to use the net proceeds to advance its clinical development programmes and for general corporate purposes. The company has entered into a registration rights agreement and will file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for resale of the shares.