The Coffee Chat by Adventis

Adventis
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The Coffee Chat Podcast by Adventis is a podcast for finance students looking to learn the ins and outs of the finance industry. We speak to students and professionals to share advice and answer the questions you have about getting an internship or full-time role in finance. For more information about how Adventis can help you further your finance career, or to appear on The Coffee Chat podcast, please visit https://adventiscg.com.

  1. 7h ago

    Ep. 54 - Say Yes to Everything Freshman Year, Then Go All In

    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

  2. Sep 7

    Ep. 53 - An Expert's Honest Guide to Breaking into High Finance

    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.

  3. Jul 6

    Ep. 52 - How He Landed 2 Investment Banking Internships Before Junior Year

    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

  4. Jun 22

    Ep. 51 - How a Hotel School Student Landed a Wells Fargo Banking Offer

    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

  5. Jun 8

    Ep. 50 - Should You Choose Wealth Management Over Investment Banking?

    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

  6. May 25

    Ep. 49 - How Being a Pre-Med Student Helped Him Land a Top IB Internship

    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

  7. May 11

    Ep. 48 - The Recruiting Mindset That Earned Her a Junior Year Banking Offer

    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.

  8. Apr 13

    Ep. 46 - How Persistent Networking Landed Him an Investment Banking Career

    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

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About

The Coffee Chat Podcast by Adventis is a podcast for finance students looking to learn the ins and outs of the finance industry. We speak to students and professionals to share advice and answer the questions you have about getting an internship or full-time role in finance. For more information about how Adventis can help you further your finance career, or to appear on The Coffee Chat podcast, please visit https://adventiscg.com.

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