Hi, my name is Aris Sevastianos. I was born and raised in a Greek-American household in metro St. Louis, and graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Minor in French. Before my current work in venture capital, I spent time in strategy consulting (Strategy& - Retail & Consumer Private Equity Value Creation) and investment banking (Truist Securities - Power & Renewables coverage). In college, I co-ran and sold a Forbes-featured EdTech startup as CFO and did internships at a hedge fund and public accounting firm. Having formally navigated the VC, strategy consulting, IB, and public accounting recruitment processes, I can provide candid insight on each process, as well as my transition between the respective fields. Finally, I can help you build a valuable network from the ground up (something I had to do quickly). I’d love to pay it forward as a friend and mentor while combating such a pressing issue in our society.

I am a Private Equity Investment Manager at H.I.G. Capital (London) and was previously a Private Equity Associate at H.I.G. (NYC). Before H.I.G., I was a Private Equity Associate at Main Street Capital (Houston) and prior to that, I was an Investment Banking Associate (and Analyst) at BMO Capital Markets (NYC).

I grew up in Queens, NY in an immigrant household and had little exposure to people with white-collar jobs / professional careers. I studied finance at Villanova University which is where upperclassmen mentors introduced me to the world of finance. I was immediately hooked because the finance industry values hard work, dedication, and creativity and the roles available in the industry make it a priority to reward this effort with compensation and extremely versatile/transferrable professional experiences.

My goal is to increase transparency and awareness about careers in finance like my mentors did for me, and I believe I can help you by: (i) teaching you the framework of how the finance industry and recruiting works, (ii) assisting you in developing your personal narrative so that you can communicate your story in a more impactful manner, and (iii) showing you some non-traditional approaches as you look to successfully navigate an intricate, opaque, and competitive field.

I am very approachable and friendly (or I try to be at least) and enjoy talking about finance, personal/professional development, and various other topics, so please reach out to me!

Hi—I’m Mike Limongelli. I’m currently a private equity associate at Graham Partners, a middle-market private equity firm located outside Philadelphia. I attended the University of Richmond and studied finance and philosophy. I pursued a career in finance and, ultimately, private equity because it teaches a broad range of transferable skills and bestows immense responsibility at an early age. I was in your shoes not long ago; think of me as almost a peer resource. I’ve held internships in investment banking and private equity and can speak to both career paths and their respective interview processes. I’m passionate about paying it forward and would love to help you explore career interests, navigate the interview process, and land that critical first job or internship!

I am currently a private equity Vice President at Tarsadia Investments and, prior to that, I was an investment banking analyst at Jefferies. I graduated from Villanova University in 2018 with a BS in mathematics. I pursued a career in finance because I always wanted to surround myself with hard working and smart people, and I felt that it was the industry I encountered during my time at school that had the hardest working and smartest people (by the way: I can now say from personal experience, for all of the job's challenges, there certainly are a lot of driven and intelligent people in finance). I am happy to help anyone who wants to break into the industry, and I can be of particular help if anyone is interested in restructuring / distressed finance.

I’m currently an investment banking associate at Goldman Sachs and was previously an associate at G Square Capital in London. Beforehand, I was an investment banking analyst in the healthcare group at Jefferies in New York and London. I graduated from Vanderbilt with a BS in Human and Organizational Development (HOD) and a minor in financial economics. I’m originally from Kildeer, Illinois, a town not far from Chicago. I’m happy to help anyone and everyone, but if you are a non-finance major, female, college athlete, someone that wants international experience, or are interested in healthcare finance, I can answer your questions and help you prepare for the interview process with these topics in mind.

My name is Jeff Blethen, and I am currently an associate with Atlas Holdings, and was previously an associate with PSP Partners in Chicago focusing on buyout and growth equity transactions. Prior to joining PSP, I was an investment banking analyst in the Global Industrials group at Jefferies in NYC. I graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2017 with a BA in international business and finance. I went through non-target recruiting coming out of South Carolina, so I understand the difficulties that come from attending a non-core school. I am more than happy to walk you through my networking strategies, help you craft your story, and teach the dark arts of cold calling and emailing.

I am research analyst at Point72 and was previously an investment banking analyst in the healthcare group at Jefferies. I studied finance, economics, math, and physics at the University of Richmond. I pursued a career in investment banking because I have always been fascinated by the physics of financial markets, and decided investment banking was the best way to gain valuable exposure to a wide variety of different aspects of these markets. If you want to learn more about the hedge fund space, please feel free to contact me!

Hello, my name is Hank Barrett and I’m an associate at Gridiron Capital in New Canaan, CT. Prior to Gridiron, I was an analyst in the Global Industrials Group at Jefferies in NYC. I grew up in Williamstown, MA and graduated from Wesleyan University in 2017 with a BA in Economics and Government. I was always interested in finance (and business more broadly), but knew very little about the industry or the various potential paths. I chose to pursue investment banking because I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after school and was hoping to open as many doors as possible while I figured it out. In the few years since I graduated, I’ve been lucky enough to work and interact with many great people across a range of different industries, roles, and backgrounds. I remember well how overwhelming it can be trying to figure out where to start — none of us would be where we are without the help of people who had gone through it themselves and were willing to share some advice. You could have no idea what you want to do, already be dead set on a specific role, or, most likely, be somewhere in-between — no matter where you are, I’d love to help.

I am a private equity associate at Great Hill Partners and was previously an investment banking analyst in the consumer & retail group at Citi. I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2019 with a BA in Business Administration with concentrations in finance and economics. My decision to pursue a career in finance, and more specifically investment banking, was largely informed by my desire to develop a broad-based foundation that would position me to pursue my *previously undiscovered* passions down the line. I can help you learn about investment banking and whether it is the right fit for you.

My name is Eddie Auslander. I’m currently a private equity associate with H.I.G. Capital (Advantage Fund) in New York. Prior to H.I.G., I was an investment banking analyst in the global industrials group at Jefferies in NYC. I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2017 with a BS in business administration with a concentration in finance and a minor in social & political history. If you would’ve asked me why I got into finance while I was early on in college, I would’ve told you I it was because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. After my first finance internship in a corporate M&A setting, I became enthralled by learning how and why decisions were made by management teams, and I kept finding myself wanting to learn more, which led to me pursuing a role in investment banking. I’m more than happy to hop on the phone to discuss future career aspirations, help with interviewing, or provide any other tips / tricks to help start your career path in the right direction. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

Hello! My name is Mitch Beller and I am currently a private equity associate at JLL Partners based in New York City. Prior to my time at JLL, I was an investment banking analyst in the Global Industrials Group at Jefferies in NYC. I grew up just outside of Kansas City before attending and eventually graduating from the University of Kansas in 2017 with BSc degrees in both finance and accounting. I got into finance for the challenge, caliber of people, and optionality (if you start your career in investment banking, you can do almost anything you want in business afterwards; the skill-sets are that valued). I have been fortunate to have had people from various backgrounds extend their hand and time to me in helping me piece together my short career thus far. I know the process can be daunting and continuously exhausting. Each of you has what it takes to pursue whatever it is that intrigues you. Myself and the rest of the PFF team are here to help you craft the streamlined story of how each of your experiences are connected, and rightfully convey you are the person the company is looking for, whether that is in finance or another field of your passion. We are here to help in any way we can, and I look forward to being a part of your process.

I am originally from Ethiopia but was raised in Portland, Oregon. I attended undergrad across the country at the University of Richmond, where I got my bachelor’s degree in economics with a concentration in Finance. During my four years at UR I was lucky enough to have two summer internships, both with US Bank back in Portland. After my sophomore year I interned as a Private wealth management analyst. To be honest not the most exciting work but gathered some good expertise working with trading softwares like FactSet and Bloomberg. Junior year summer I was back with US Bank in Portland but this time in their Commercial Lending division. This time I had much more hands on experience. I would spend my time analyzing local companies financial health and future productivity to help the team determine the best lending products/services the US Bank could provide. Since graduating, I have been working for Accenture as a CDTS (Corporate Development & Transactional Services) analyst. In this role I do all the modeling and deal shaping for any mutli-tower opportunity greater than $10M USD. I am happy to speak with you about work and opportunities in corporate finance along with give a perspective on recruiting not specific to investment banking (though I have experience recruiting here as well).

I am a first-year Associate at EY-Parthenon in the New York City office and a 2022 graduate from Tulane University, where I was an international student studying Economics & Environmental Studies and attended on a merit scholarship. Though I had extensive internship experience in the Tech & FinTech world, I chose to enter Consulting for the breadth of industry and functional exposure it provides early on and its varied exit opportunities. As an international student who recruited from a non-core school, I'd be happy to discuss strategies to stand out and manage the sponsorship hurdle.

Hi, my name is Ryan Ringelstein and I am currently an office tenant representation broker at Raise Commercial Real Estate in San Francisco. Raise is a technology-enabled commercial real estate brokerage offering tenant representation, project and construction management, workplace strategy, and ongoing lease administration for clients around the globe. Originally from the Bay Area, I went to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and St. Mary’s College for undergrad where I received a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. I’m currently pursuing a Master’s in Finance at Georgetown University. I’ve been fortunate to have many people help get me to where I am today. If you’re interested in a career in real estate, need help preparing for interviews, or just want to chat, I’d love to help out anyway I can.

I’m currently working at Zipline an autonomous drone delivery startup focused on the business unit economics and global operations. Previously, I was an Associate in Growth Equity focused on B2B SAAS and Tech-enabled business services. I started my career as an Investment Banking analyst in the Real Estate, Gaming and Lodging group at Goldman Sachs in NYC. I graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia where I studied Finance, Global Management, and Art History. I’m happy to talk to anyone about career paths in finance or all the other things I’ve considered along the way.

I am currently a private equity associate at Littlejohn & Co in Greenwich, CT. Prior to my current role, I was an investment banking analyst in the Energy, Power & Infrastructure Group at Harris Williams. I am originally from the Minneapolis, MN area and graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in Economics while playing on the NCAA Division 1 lacrosse team. After graduating from Colgate, I received my Master's in Finance from the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. I pursued a career in finance because I enjoyed the fast-paced and team-oriented environment that was similar to my experience as a student-athlete. I'm happy to be a resource and answer questions on recruiting, the interview process, networking, or anything else you might find helpful. In particular, I can provide insight on grad school, moving to new locations, and leveraging a background in athletics.

Hi, my name is Stephanie Michas, and I currently work as a Credit and Asset Management Financial Analyst at Trimont Real Estate Advisers in London. Prior to joining Trimont, I was a Sales and Trading Analyst at BNP Paribas in New York. I graduated from Colgate University in 2019 with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Studio Art. I chose to work in Finance after school because growing up I was always interested in the markets. I would hear the hype around upcoming IPOs or share buybacks, and found it fascinating. After relocating to the UK I pivoted within the industry, now working within Commercial Real Estate Credit and Asset Management, after looking for work with more tangibility, which I’ve found in Commercial Real Estate. As a woman coming from a small Liberal Arts school, I can help you navigate the application and interview process. I can also help you to think about where in finance you can see yourself succeeding - as someone who has moved within the industry, I can help you think about where your skillset lies, and how to best utilize it. I have been lucky to have fantastic mentors thus far in my career, and hope that I can provide that same level of mentorship on to others.

My name is Ben Smith and I am currently an Investment Associate at Access Industries, having previously worked as a Senior Investment Analyst at Spider Management Company. I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2020, with a BA in Business Administration and concentrations in Economics and Finance. While it might be difficult to access out of college, a career in Investment Management offers you the unique opportunity to jump right into a ‘Buy-Side’ role and take on significant responsibility investing large pools of capital to support meaningful causes. I’d be more than happy to talk to you about my work experiences, or even the CFA program if that is something you are considering. Don’t be a stranger!

My name is Stan Bikulege. I am currently a Principal with Lightview Capital, a private equity firm based in West Palm Beach, FL. We're focused on completing buyout transactions with founder-led businesses in the Business and Tech-Enabled services sector. Prior to joining Lightview, I was an M&A analyst at West Monroe Partners in NYC. I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2018 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in Business Administration. I was also a linebacker and captain of the varsity football team. I did not know I wanted to get into finance early on in college and majored in a completely different field of study entirely. I ended up pursuing a career in finance and took a bit of an unconventional route to get there. I am more than happy to discuss strategies for positioning your experience into the role you want to be in, pivoting careers in college / thereafter, and generally be someone that you can bounce ideas off of.

Hi, my name is Stephanie Michas, and I currently work as a Credit and Asset Management Financial Analyst at Trimont Real Estate Advisers in London. Prior to joining Trimont, I was a Sales and Trading Analyst at BNP Paribas in New York. I graduated from Colgate University in 2019 with a B.A. in Economics and a minor in Studio Art. I chose to work in Finance after school because growing up I was always interested in the markets. I would hear the hype around upcoming IPOs or share buybacks, and found it fascinating. After relocating to the UK I pivoted within the industry, now working within Commercial Real Estate Credit and Asset Management, after looking for work with more tangibility, which I’ve found in Commercial Real Estate. As a woman coming from a small Liberal Arts school, I can help you navigate the application and interview process. I can also help you to think about where in finance you can see yourself succeeding - as someone who has moved within the industry, I can help you think about where your skillset lies, and how to best utilize it. I have been lucky to have fantastic mentors thus far in my career, and hope that I can provide that same level of mentorship on to others.