Know Your Deals: PE Deal & Investment Discussion Prep
Learn to discuss your deal experience like an investor—not simply describe the work you completed as an analyst. We’ll select the transactions or investments most likely to come up in interviews and develop a structured approach for discussing the company, industry, transaction rationale, valuation, diligence, risks, financing, investment merits, and ultimate outcome. This package includes detailed deal walkthrough preparation, investment thesis development, valuation and returns discussion, key diligence findings, risks and mitigants, your individual contribution, and realistic follow-up questioning. You’ll also practice answering the question behind many PE interviews: “Would you have made this investment yourself, and why?” By the end, you will be able to discuss your deals confidently at both the technical and investment-judgment level.
What's included
I’ll approach your deal experience the same way an investment professional would. I’ll keep asking “why?” until we get beyond process-oriented answers and into actual investment thinking. The goal is for you to demonstrate that you understand the business and investment—not simply that you built the model or worked on the transaction.
- Structured, investor-level deal walkthroughs
- Clear articulation of investment thesis, risks, valuation, and returns
- Stronger answers around your personal contribution and decision-making
- Confidence defending your deals under detailed questioning
Meet your expert
Dan B.
Former PE VP | Deal Execution + Board-Level Experience | $250M → $5B Portco
I’m a former Investment Banker and Private Equity Vice President with experience investing in high-growth software, AI and technology companies, including working on an investment in a company now valued at $5 billion. My PE experience spanned the full investment lifecycle, from sourcing and diligence to financial modeling, deal execution, and portfolio company strategy. My path into private equity wasn’t seamless. I spent close to a year interviewing before breaking in, so I understand firsthand how challenging and frustrating the process can be. Over time, I learned that success goes beyond knowing the technicals—you need to understand how investors think, communicate with conviction, and know what interviewers are actually assessing. I bring experience from both sides of the table and provide direct, practical coaching across IB and PE interviews, technicals, LBOs, case studies, deal discussions, and recruiting strategy.
