
Julian Gropp
Break Into Investment Banking With a Former Lazard Analyst's Guidance
Studied at INSEAD
Works at xAI
Available tomorrow at 10:30 AM UTC
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Julian's Coaching Offerings
Custom hourly · $200/hr
Get help with AI Automation, AI Deck Building, and .
Julian’s Investment Banking Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Experience level: Partner or Managing Director
60+ people coached for Investment Banking
I started in investment banking at Lazard, advising on technology M&A, before moving to the buy-side in credit at KKR, so I've seen deals from both the sell-side and the investor's seat. I later deployed capital as a crypto-native investor (Hashed, Parataxis) and today run my own M&A advisory boutique with active client mandates. I know exactly what gets a candidate hired because I've been on the other side of the table, screening resumes, running technicals, and deciding who makes the cut. I coach on the things that actually move the needle: financial modeling (DCF, LBO, M&A, comps), the technical interview, deal walkthroughs, and the judgment that separates a top-1% candidate from a competent one. Whether you're targeting bulge-bracket IB, an elite boutique, private equity, or breaking in from a non-target background, I'll get you sharp, fast.
Julian can help with:
AI Automation
AI Deck Building
AI Financial Modeling
AI Fundamentals
Behavioral Interview Prep
Cover Letters
Due Diligence
Financial Analysis
Financial Modeling
Freelancing
General Exploration
Investment Banking Strategy
LinkedIn Review
Mergers & Acquisitions
Networking Strategy
Promotion Strategy
Resume Review
Salary Negotiation
Skill Building
Technical Interview Prep
Valuation
About Julian
I started in technology M&A at Lazard, then moved to the buy-side in credit at KKR. After that I invested as a crypto-native at Hashed and Parataxis, and today I run my own M&A advisory boutique. I also work with xAI as a finance expert, training and evaluating Grok on financial modeling and analysis, which keeps me sharp on the exact technical material interviews test. So I've worked deals from the banking side, the investing side, and now as the person sitting across from founders, and I've been on the hiring side too, screening resumes and running the technicals that decide who gets an offer. Because of that, I don't teach interview theory. I coach the technical core that actually comes up: DCF, LBO, M&A and comps modeling, accounting, and deal walkthroughs. My goal is to get you answering like someone who has done the job, not someone who memorized a prep guide. If you're trying to break into IB, PE, or credit, or pivot in from a non-target school or a different field, I'll get you to where the desk expects you to be.
Why do I coach?
I coach because the difference between a smart candidate and a hired one usually isn't ability. It's knowing what the desk actually wants to hear, and that's the part nobody explains from the outside. Early in my career a few people showed me how the work really gets done, which is very different from how it's taught, and it changed where I ended up. I want to do that for other people. A few focused sessions can pass on years of pattern recognition and get a strong candidate into a seat they might otherwise miss by a hair.
Work Experience

Manager, Data and Analytics, Strategic Finance
xAI
January 2026 - Present

Head of Product Marketing Academy
Wall Street Oasis
January 2026 - Present
Advisor
Hexens
September 2024 - Present

Partner
Partners Capital
May 2020 - November 2023
Portfolio Manager for a multi-strategy hedge fund focused on the digital asset sector

CEO & Managing Partner
Main Street Advisors
January 2017 - Present
Notable advisory engagements include the sale of Kuwait's food delivery company Carriage to DeliveryHero (DHER.DE) and the sale of coding bootcamp aggregator Switchup (switchup.org)

Associate
KKR & Co
2013 - 2015

Investment Banking Analyst
Lazard
2011 - 2013
Julian was also given offers to work at

BlackRock
Education

INSEAD
Master's degree, Finance
2025 - 2027

Stanford University
BA, Economics
2007 - 2011