Corporate Development Coaches, Events, and Resources

I have a deep background in corporate development and strategy, I currently serve as a Vice President in Corporate Development at JPMorgan, where I was recognized as a 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Finance category. My experience spans top firms like Carta and Oscar Health, where I led strategic initiatives and market expansion efforts. I have a proven track record in driving growth, managing cross-functional teams, and leveraging data to inform business decisions. Whether you're looking to break into corporate development or advance your career, I'm here to guide you through the process. Let's connect and chart your path to success! As a former D1 Athlete and with atypical qualifications (breaking into Finance from a non-finance background), I'm here to make sense of the confusing processes.

As the Head of Corporate Development at Mercury, I led significant M&A activities, strategy, and fundraising efforts.

Covey brings over a decade of Corporate Development and M&A experience across every stage of the deal lifecycle and has executed more than two dozen acquisitions. He started his career advising large PE firms at KPMG Deal Advisory in New York and has since taken on executive roles at several PE-backed platforms, currently serving as VP of Corporate Development at American Restoration, a Morgan Stanley portfolio company. A Harvard MBA with a Master of Accountancy from BYU and deep experience building M&A playbooks, managing active pipelines, and presenting to boards, Covey offers both the technical rigor and operator perspective to help others break into and excel in Corp Dev and M&A.

No matter where you currently work or which university you attend, I’m passionate about helping aspiring professionals break into Corporate Development. Specifically, I can support you by: 1. Providing a clear overview of the Corporate Development recruiting landscape 2. Helping you build the key skills required for on-the-job success 3. Creating a tailored recruiting strategy to land a role at your target program I took a highly non-traditional path into the field and received multiple Corporate Development offers despite challenges: a modest GPA, lower standardized test scores, graduating from a non-target state university, and no experience at a bulge-bracket or elite boutique investment bank. My background includes: - Successful recruiting for Summer Analyst, Full-Time Analyst, and lateral Investment Banking roles - Ten internships across three states, secured through persistent networking, leading to a full-time Investment Banking role in a technology-focused group in San Francisco - Two full-time Corporate Development offers from private equity-backed SaaS companies Today, I help lead M&A for a high-growth, highly profitable SaaS company. In this role, I’ve: - Built the M&A function from the ground up, leading deal sourcing, execution, and post-merger integration - Closed three acquisitions that helped triple the company’s growth in just two years - Engaged with 200+ founders to evaluate strategic fit and participated in dozens of sell-side processes - Reported directly to the C-suite, presented weekly to the Board, and collaborated closely with Product, Engineering, Go-to-Market, and other teams on sourcing and due diligence I’ve also built relationships with Corporate Development leaders at top public companies (including Apple, Zoom, PayPal, Shopify, American Tower, and Royal Caribbean) and have deep insight into the varying recruiting processes and team structures across different platforms. If you’re aiming for Corporate Development — or even exploring whether it’s the right next step after investment banking — I’d love to connect and discuss how I can help you achieve your goals. Please reach out; I’m here to be a resource on your journey.

With a robust background in investment banking and corporate development, I have successfully navigated the competitive recruiting landscape to secure positions at top-tier firms like Lazard and recently served as Director of Growth Strategy at a leading PPM company, where I was instrumental in shaping strategic growth initiatives. Having experienced the demanding recruiting process and advanced to a leadership position, I am passionate about helping others achieve their goals in corporate development. My hands-on experience and deep understanding of what top companies seek will guide you through every step of the recruiting journey, from resume building to interview preparation and offer negotiation. Whether you’re aiming to break into corporate development or advance your career, I’m here to offer actionable insights, personalized feedback, and a clear roadmap to success. Let’s work together to elevate your career and secure your next role in corporate development.

Welcome to my profile! With a robust background in finance and venture capital, I bring a wealth of experience to help you navigate the corporate development landscape. Currently, I serve as a Finance Manager at Microsoft, focusing on Cloud & AI Infrastructure Strategy and Investments, and have prior experience in Corporate Development (M&A) and Strategic Finance. My journey includes roles at VU Venture Partners, Data Collective, and J.P. Morgan, where I honed my skills in sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities across various industries. I have coached numerous individuals, guiding them to excel in their careers by leveraging my insights from working with top-tier firms. Let's connect and strategize your path to success in corporate development!

**Why I'm qualified to coach in this category:** I've spent 12+ years building and leading strategy inside large, complex organizations, from a $100B aerospace company navigating one of the industry's largest mergers to a diversified multinational spanning hospitality, real estate, agriculture, and professional sport. Along the way I've built things from scratch: the first enterprise ESG governance framework, the first CSR impact report, the first CSR framework at multiple companies, which meant learning how to get buy-in from finance, legal, operations, and executive leadership when there was no existing playbook to point to. That experience taught me how corporate strategy actually gets built and defended in practice: how to align competing priorities across departments and geographies, how to translate complex initiatives into board-level decisions, and how to move a large organization toward a new direction without the authority to simply mandate it. I coach from that lived experience, not theory.