Advertise on podcast: The Coffee Chat by Adventis

Anthony Ellis is a junior at Iowa State who took a gap year after high school working as an electrician's apprentice and just landed a junior year investment banking internship at Lincoln International in Chicago. In this episode, Anthony walks through how that unconventional background became his most powerful recruiting asset, why he made the deliberate decision to go deep on one firm rather than spread across many, and how a five-day networking trek to New York and Chicago ultimately changed the direction of his career. We also dig into Iowa State's IB Initiative, the daily study group approach that got him through the 400 questions guide, and how the Adventis program let him complete a live LBO on day three of his sophomore summer PE internship faster than any of the other interns. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com --- Edited by Jamie Regan - ⁨@CreatedByRegan⁩ Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Anthony Ellis --- CHAPTERS: 0:00 — Introduction & Anthony's Background 0:48 — Growing Up in Des Moines & Choosing Iowa State 2:04 — The Gap Year: Working as an Electrician's Apprentice & Bartending 3:42 — What People Get Wrong About Taking a Gap Year 5:21 — How the Gap Year Created Clarity, Confidence & a Unique Story 7:45 — Slowing Down Before a Big Decision: Advice for High Schoolers 9:31 — How the Electrician Story Became Anthony's Biggest Recruiting Asset 10:45 — The Networking Strategy: Why Anthony Put Most of His Eggs in One Basket 12:14 — The Networking Trek: 19 Firms Across New York and Chicago in Five Days 13:03 — Walking Into Lincoln International & Feeling It Immediately 14:32 — From the Office Visit to the Offer: How the Snowball Started 15:46 — Going Back to Chicago in January — On His Own Time, With His Dad 16:37 — Why Focused Networking on One Firm Actually Reduces Risk 17:19 — The VP Who Walked the Desk and Got Everyone to Respond 18:14 — Anthony's Super Day: 6 Interviews, 8 People, 3 He Already Knew 19:21 — Walking Into Super Day With the Recruiter Who Hosted the Original Trek 19:53 — The Mental Shift: Realizing the Hard Work Was Already Done 22:00 — Applying to 30 Banks vs. Deeply Networking at a Few: The Real Lesson 23:14 — The Evercore First Round That Came Out of Nowhere 24:02 — Iowa State's IB Initiative (IBI): How the Program Works 26:36 — Freshman Year in the IBI: Exposure, Speaker Series & Learning the Basics 28:20 — The Sophomore Re-Application: Why Making Them Earn It Matters 30:32 — Sophomore Year in the IBI: Credit Course, Mock Interviews & Mentorship 33:06 — Coaching the Next Class: Why Generic "Why IB" Answers Won't Cut It 34:09 — The November Networking Trek & December Recruiting Ramp-Up 35:02 — Technical Prep: 400 Guide, Wall Street Oasis & Daily Study Groups 36:37 — How Adventis Made the Difference Between Knowing It and Doing It 38:14 — Building a Live LBO at Midwest Growth Partners — On Day Three 39:14 — The Adventis Macros That Made Anthony the Fastest Intern in the Room 40:35 — Finishing Faster Than the Iowa Kids — The Iowa State Moment of Pride 41:20 — Closing Remarks & Congrats to Anthony

Tej Shah is a junior at the University of Illinois who just wrapped up a sophomore summer private equity internship at Water Street Healthcare Partners in Chicago, and has an incoming analyst offer at JPMorgan's M&A group waiting for him next summer. In this episode, Tej walks through how the IVC Scholar Program connected him to the buy side before he even started junior year recruiting, how both the Water Street internship and his Adventis certifications became instant icebreakers in every banking interview, and why sending 10–20 networking emails a day in October and November of sophomore fall was the key to his JPM offer landing in January. We also dig into a networking mistake almost every recruiter makes on early calls and the "let the banker lead" mindset shift that fixes it. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com --- Edited by Jamie Regan - ⁨@CreatedByRegan⁩ Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Tej Shah --- CHAPTERS: 0:00 — Introduction & Tej's Background 0:54 — Growing Up in Chicagoland & Choosing U of I 2:09 — Saying Yes to Everything Freshman Year: Clubs, Fraternities & More 3:55 — The PE Internship: What Tej Did at Water Street Healthcare Partners 7:08 — The Six-Week Case Study: Modeling a Pharma Carve-Out from Start to Finish 8:36 — Sitting in on Live Deals: SIMs, SIPs & Monday Morning Meetings 9:35 — Key Learning: Understanding the Buy Side Before Going to the Sell Side 10:44 — The IVC Scholar Program: How It Works & What It Unlocks 13:17 — How Tej First Heard About the IVC Program as a Freshman 15:48 — Freshman Year Strategy: Spread Out First, Then Focus Sophomore Year 17:09 — How the IVC Application & Interview Process Works 18:32 — Coming Into Winter Break With a Lead: The Fourth Quarter Principle 19:34 — How Adventis & the Water Street Offer Showed Up in Every Banking Interview 20:37 — You Don't Need a PE Internship — Any Experience Builds the Lead 22:15 — Why Interviewers Love Having Something to Dig Into on Your Resume 22:36 — Water Street Required Adventis — Tej Had Already Finished It 24:15 — How Tej Described the Adventis 90-Minute Standard in Interviews 25:48 — Why the Time Pressure Simulates Real On-Desk Conditions 26:28 — How Many Reps It Took to Get Under 90 Minutes (~10) 27:23 — The JPM Recruiting Timeline: October Outreach to January Super Day 29:11 — Going Full Steam Ahead: The Sophomore Fall Commitment Decision 30:08 — Sending 10–20 Networking Emails a Day in October & November 31:07 — JPM Chicago Specifically: Why M&A at JPM Became Tej's Top Choice 33:25 — The Mistake Every Recruiter Makes on Early Networking Calls 35:23 — The Right Lesson: Let the Banker Lead the Conversation 37:12 — The Secret Ninja Move: Showing You Can Listen 38:35 — Making Mistakes Early So You Nail It When It Counts 39:02 — Tej's JPM Offer Timing & the Decision to Accept Early 40:27 — How Many Banks Would Tej Have Pursued Without the JPM Offer? 42:05 — Target 4–6 Banks, Build Real Momentum at Each 43:59 — Refreshing Relationships After the Holidays Before Interview Season 44:23 — Reframing Rejection: It's a Selection, Not a Dismissal 46:21 — Final Advice: Enjoy the Small Victories & Trust the Process 47:30 — Closing Remarks & Congrats to Tej

Mary Ellen Ryan is the Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Development at Bentley University, where she has spent 12 years coaching finance students into investment banking, asset management, wealth management, and beyond, conducting roughly 500 one-on-one coaching sessions per year. In this episode, Mary Ellen brings a perspective you rarely hear on this podcast: the view from inside the career center. She walks through how recruiting timelines have shifted dramatically over the past decade, what freshmen and sophomores should actually be doing at each stage, why technical expectations have risen well beyond memorizing the 400 questions, and how banking recruiting is fundamentally a risk management process from the employer's side. We also dig into AI's role in finance recruiting, modeling, and the classroom.

n this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, Ben sits down with Jimmy Johnston, a rising junior at the University of Illinois who just secured a sophomore summer internship at Morningstar and a junior year investment banking internship at JPMorgan, both in Chicago. In this episode, Jimmy walks through how a Prime M&A info night in his first month of college set him on the path to IB, how he became an Adventis Lead Trainer (completing the full model and valuation suite in under 60 minutes), and how that modeling depth helped his team be the only one to correctly call United Natural Foods overvalued in a live case competition. We also get into his Chicago-focused recruiting strategy across 15 processes and 5 super days, why he recommends finding "battle buddies" for technical prep, and the lessons he learned from making mistakes during the recruiting process. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com --- Edited by Jamie Regan - @CreatedByRegan Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Jimmy Johnston --- 0:00 — Introduction & Jimmy's Background 0:52 — Why University of Illinois: Network, Culture & Chicago Roots 2:07 — Jimmy's Goal: Investment Banking in Chicago 4:21 — Prime M&A: The JV League That Got Jimmy Hooked on Banking 5:43 — The Case Competitions: Winnebago and Traeger Pitches 7:50 — Strategy: Why Committing to Chicago Early Was a Smart Move 9:21 — How Prime Led to the Investment Banking Academy 10:35 — Growing Up Wanting to Take the Train to Chicago 12:10 — The Double Win: Morningstar This Summer, JPMorgan Next Summer 14:29 — Why Credit Analysis at Morningstar Will Pay Off Later 15:39 — 15 Processes, 5 Super Days: What That Volume of Recruiting Looks Like 16:19 — In-Person Office Visits: Chicago & New York with the IB Academy 18:17 — Advice for Rising Freshmen: Don't Jump in the Deep End Immediately 19:06 — Testing Consulting, Law & Education Before Committing to Banking 21:04 — The Go/No-Go Decision Point: Summer Before Sophomore Year 23:29 — Technical Prep: Breaking Into Wall Street Guides & Note-Taking Old School 24:42 — Using AI to Understand Concepts You Can't Grasp from a Guide 25:35 — Don't Prep Alone: Finding Your Battle Buddies 26:25 — Mock Interviews: Technical AND Behavioral — Both Matter 27:08 — Brain Teasers: 10 Ways to Use a Pencil (Not Including Writing) 28:15 — Becoming an Adventis Lead Trainer: The Full Model in Under 60 Minutes 30:36 — How Modeling Mastery Gave Jimmy the Edge in the IB Academy Case Competition 33:26 — Calling United Natural Foods Overvalued — and Being Right 35:39 — Organization: The Skill Jimmy Wishes He'd Built Earlier 37:11 — Making Mistakes in Recruiting & What They Taught Him 38:57 — Why a Typo in a Networking Email Is the Same as a Typo to a Client 41:15 — Final Advice: Go Together, Stay Focused, Enjoy the Ride 43:21 — Closing Remarks & Congrats to Jimmy

In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, Ben sits down with Darren Shum, a junior at Cornell's Hotel School who just accepted a summer investment banking internship at Wells Fargo and turned down an offer from Nomura to get there. Darren explains how his unconventional major actually became a differentiator, particularly for real estate IB, and how Cornell's massive alumni network is both a huge asset and a serious challenge. He walks through the mid-August outreach strategy that earned him 20-30% response rates when everyone else was getting single digits, the four-touch follow-up system he used to build real relationships over time, and the Adventis shared experience that turned a Nomura Super Day into an offer. We also get into the right and wrong ways to use AI in recruiting, including why you should never use AI as your current events answer. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com --- Edited by Jamie Regan - @CreatedByRegan Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Darren Shum --- 0:00 — Introduction & Darren's Background 0:52 — Why Cornell's Hotel School Is a Hidden Edge in Banking Recruiting 3:19 — Hotels, Real Estate & Why the Hotel School Feeds Directly into REIB 5:11 — Cornell Hotel Alumni in Banking: The Shared Experience Advantage 7:00 — The Restaurant Management Class: Running a Real Restaurant on Campus 9:48 — The Dark Side of a Target School: 400+ People Competing for the Same Roles 10:39 — What Happens When 500 Students Swarm One Banker at a Campus Event 11:56 — 1,000 Cornell Banking Alumni & Overflowing Inboxes 13:16 — When to Start Emailing: The Mid-August Sweet Spot 14:03 — Why Emailing Too Early Can Actually Hurt You 15:18 — Response Rates: 20-30% in August vs. Single Digits in December 16:55 — The Four-Touch Follow-Up System That Kept Connections Warm 18:49 — The Final Holiday Email: Turning a Relationship Into a Referral Call 19:56 — The Adventis Shared Experience That Turned a Nomura Super Day Into an Offer 21:22 — Why a Certification Is More Than a Piece of Paper in the Interview Room 23:15 — What "Creating an Advocate in the Room" Actually Means 24:19 — Using AI for Mock Interviews: What Works and What Doesn't 25:44 — Why AI Fails at Scraping LinkedIn for Networking Lists 27:02 — The Right Way to Use AI: The 400 Questions Mock Interview Trick 28:41 — Mastering Technical Tools as a Junior Hire 30:11 — Pro Tip: Don't Talk About AI as Your Current Events Answer 31:43 — Final Advice: Start Early, Customize Every Email & Don't Blast the Same Group 33:49 — Closing Remarks & Congrats to Darren

In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, Ben sits down with Yash Bansal, a sophomore at the University of Illinois who just landed a junior year analyst internship at JP Morgan's Private Bank. In this episode, Yash shares how early stock market interest led him to finance and how a single cold email to a Merrill Lynch advisor helped him narrow his focus to wealth management over investment banking or asset management. We cover his recruiting timeline, how he tackled HireVue as part of his application, what got him straight to a Super Day, and how the Adventis program helped him visualize financial statements under interview pressure. Ben and Yash also get into practical networking techniques, including how to turn a list of questions into an actual conversation, the email syntax trick for cold outreach, and the litmus test for a truly unique "why this firm" answer. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com

In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, Ben sits down with Magnus Gadowsky, a sophomore at Amherst College who started college on a pre-med track and just accepted a junior year investment banking internship at Triple Tree in New York. In this episode, Magnus shares how shadowing an orthopedic surgeon and an unexpected internship at Magnetar Capital sent him down a completely different path. We cover how he used his healthcare background as a genuine differentiator across 60+ networking calls, how Adventis helped him understand what investment banking actually was, and how a connection through an Amherst friend led him to Triple Tree. Magnus also shares one of the best interview tips we've heard on the show, going deep enough on firm culture to uncover something truly unique, not just the generic talking points. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com --- Edited by Jamie Regan - ⁨@CreatedByRegan⁩ Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Magnus Gadowsky --- 0:00 — Introduction & Magnus's Background 1:19 — Starting Pre-Med: Shadowing an Orthopedic Surgeon 4:27 — The Surgery Sales Rep Conversation That Changed Everything 5:49 — How a Hedge Fund Internship at Magnetar Capital Happened 7:22 — Being Opportunistic: Taking Internships Off Your Planned Track 9:22 — What Magnus Actually Did at Magnetar Capital 10:06 — Falling in Love with Excel & Financial Modeling 11:50 — Coming Out of Magnetar: Still Not Sure About IB 12:35 — How Adventis Clarified the Path to Investment Banking 13:25 — Starting to Network: Reaching Out to Recent Alums 14:08 — 60+ Networking Calls: How the Story Snowballed 15:18 — Why a Unique, Authentic Story Opens More Doors 17:14 — Casting a Wide Net While Staying True to Healthcare 18:07 — How Magnus Found Triple Tree & Connected with the Right People 19:23 — Why Industry Experience Matters in Healthcare Banking 21:17 — Sophomore Summer Plans & Looking Ahead 22:16 — Following Your Genuine Interest Through Networking 23:24 — How Triple Tree Came Up & Working Through Amherst Connections 24:29 — Preparing for the Internship: Adventis, Newsletters & Staying Sharp 29:19 — Unique Interview Advice: Going Deep on Firm Culture 30:25 — The Pond Hockey Story: What Real Culture Research Looks Like 33:04 — Making It Easy for Interviewers to Picture You There 34:10 — Don't Get Blinders On: Let Networking Tell You Where to Go 35:35 — Closing Remarks & Congrats to Magnus

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ben sits down with Hadley Siena, a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who just accepted a junior year investment banking internship at BMO in Chicago. Hadley shares how an international upbringing, including a formative experience in the Philippines through CISV, sparked her interest in business and ultimately led her to investment banking. We dig into her preparation timeline, from the Prime M&A Case Competition freshman year to grinding the 400 questions guide and earning her Adventis certification. Hadley also walks through her networking strategy, the value of in-person coffee chats, how she used AI tools like ChatGPT for mock interview practice, and what she learned from recruiting in both New York and Chicago.

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ben sits down with Eric Ren, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate who built his way into investment banking at Deutsche Bank. Eric shares how he navigated recruiting during COVID, cold-emailed hundreds of bankers, flew to New York to network in person, and developed the technical skills that helped him stand out once he landed on the desk. If you're interested in investment banking recruiting, networking strategy, and breaking into Wall Street from a non-traditional path, this episode provides a practical playbook. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com Edited by Jamie Regan -  ⁨@CreatedByRegan⁩  Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Isaac (Ike) Cymerman

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ben sits down with Dave Hawthorne, Director of the Financial Markets Institute (FMI) at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business.They break down how FMI identifies and develops high-performing students for careers in investment banking, private equity, sales & trading, and more. Dave explains what separates successful candidates, why grit and leadership matter, how their 10-week Investment Banking Academy prepares students for Superdays, and how the program’s powerful alumni network places students at firms like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Houlihan Lokey, William Blair, and many others.Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com---Edited by Jamie Regan -  @CreatedByRegan  Hosted by Ben DowellGuest: David Hawthorne---00:00 – Meet Dave Hawthorne & The Financial Markets Institute (FMI)03:00 – What Makes a Student a Good Fit for Investment Banking06:00 – Demonstrated Interest: Clubs, GPA & Adventis Modeling09:00 – The 10-Week Investment Banking Academy Explained13:00 – “Practice Until You Can’t Get It Wrong” (Interview Prep)16:00 – The New York Road Show: JP Morgan, Evercore, Carlyle & More19:00 – FMI’s Alumni Network & Where Students Land Jobs23:00 – Investment Banking as the Stepping Stone to Private Equity30:00 – How to Build a Successful Student Organization36:00 – Final Advice: Leadership, Grit & Earning the Offer

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ike Cymerman, a senior at the University of Michigan, breaks down how he secured — and earned a return offer from — TD’s Leveraged Finance & Private Credit group. We cover his internship experience, how he prepared technically and behaviorally, the role Michigan’s TAMID investment fund played in his development, and why networking conversations matter more than most students realize. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com --- Edited by Jamie Regan -  ⁨@CreatedByRegan⁩  Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Isaac (Ike) Cymerman

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Sante Bambocci, a student at Bentley University, shares how he secured a highly competitive sophomore summer investment banking internship at Bank of America — and earned a return offer.We break down his early technical preparation, networking strategy from a non-target school, how he used financial modeling training to stand out, and what actually matters when trying to secure — and keep — an offer in investment banking.Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com---Edited by Jamie Regan -  @CreatedByRegan  Hosted by Ben DowellGuest: Sante Bambocci

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Braden Donovan from Amherst College shares how he successfully landed a junior year investment banking internship at Arris Partners. We break down his networking strategy, technical preparation, and how liberal arts students can compete in a highly competitive recruiting process. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com --- Edited by Jamie Regan (⁠CreatedByRegan⁠) Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Braedan Donovan

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, we break down exactly how non-target students can compete for top investment banking roles through smart networking, focused recruiting strategy, and strong interview preparation. We cover how many banks to target, who to network with, and what actually makes candidates stand out. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://adventiscg.com --- Edited by Jamie Regan (CreatedByRegan) Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Benjamin Wysmuller

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Christian Burmeister shares his real-world lessons from investment banking, private equity, and navigating early-career decisions. From closing his first deal to managing conflicts, weekend emergencies, and choosing the right career path, he breaks down what students MUST know before entering finance.If you're preparing for IB or PE recruiting, this episode will give you actionable advice, behind-the-scenes stories, and the mindset needed to stand out. --- Edited by Jamie Regan (⁠CreatedByRegan⁠) Hosted by Ben Dowell Guest: Christian Burmeister