William Blair was founded in Chicago in 1935 and is still employee-owned. Its investment bank focuses on growth companies, often privately owned or backed by private equity, across sectors like technology, healthcare and consumer.
Who it suits
Employee ownership tends to mean a long-term culture where people stay [ask people there whether that's still true]. Growth companies mean a lot of capital raising and sell-side M&A for founders and funds.
Most undergraduate hiring is in the US, especially Chicago. William Blair has a London office.
On the CV
- A real interest in growth businesses: an internship at a startup, a venture society role, a pitch on a fast-growing company.
- Numbers on what changed, as always.
- For US applications: GPA if strong, one page, early application timeline.