Shimin Ian Low ’13 – I am interning at a WP Global Partners (“WP”) under the watch of alumni, Greg Jania. To briefly introduce my internship, WP is a private equity Firm which deals mainly with fund-of-funds which means that WP mainly invests in the funds of other private equity firms rather than the usual direct investment in private companies.

My typical day involves sitting in and taking notes on investment pitches from other private equity firms which are seeking funding for their investments. While it may seem to others like an unimportant task, the meetings are crucial for us to sieve through the hundreds of funds in the market before we make any investment decisions which usually amount to only 3-4 investments a year. My work also involves sieving through various pitch books and memorandums for investment terms which are then compiled in to a deal log which is discussed over a meeting every week to determine whether or not to move forward with certain deals.

My other projects include reading through financial statements on companies that we directly and indirectly invest in through funds in order to track their quarterly performance. Throughout this project, I have gained valuable insight on what key ratios and indicators are used to determine the situation of a company or investment and why they are used. Aside from that, I have also been privileged to participate in writing deal reviews for potential investments which include writing up on a company and its performance as well as the general market and growth potential. This has been challenging and has certainly pushed myanalytical abilities and my ability to learn on the spot.

My time in WP has offered me a lot. Through the projects and tasks which I do daily, I have been exposed to the hard work which goes behind the deal making. Meeting high net worth clients on an almost daily basis has been inspiring, driving my spark to succeed in whatever I may attempt in my life. I appreciate this opportunity for being able to experience and appreciate the work that goes into private equity as well as the chance to amass practical experience which I will need to break into the world of finance.

My special thanks also goes out to Greg Jania for being a wonderful mentor during my time here as well as Career Services and the Small Business Internship Fund for making this possible. I encourage students to apply for this internship in the near future should they be interested in breaking in to the field of finance and to prepare ahead of time.