Overview
Adams Street Partners (“Adams Street”) is a global private markets investment manager, operating in more than thirty countries across five continents. With nearly five decades of experience and more than $51 billion in assets under management, Adams Street prides itself on the depth and breadth of its global investment capabilities and provides investors with differentiated access to the spectrum of the private markets strategies.
Adams Street has offices in Austin, Beijing, Boston, Chicago, London, Munich, Menlo Park, New York, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo. Employees operate as a single global team, integrating the expertise of the firm’s investment professionals across five strategies: primary investments, secondary investments, growth equity, private credit, and co-investments.
Adams Street is considered a pioneer in the private markets and was inducted into the Private Equity Hall of Fame in 2000 in recognition of the firm’s contributions. Adams Street became an independent entity in 2001 and a 100% employee-owned firm in 2008.
As an employee-owned firm, Adams Street believes in a culture of inclusiveness and collegiate achievement, and strives to imbue the highest standards of integrity, respect, and teamwork into all aspects of the organization. Adams Street is governed by a set of guiding principles which prioritize two goals: provide exceptional client service and deliver top-tier investment returns.
Responsibilities
Adams Street’s Summer Analyst Program is a 10-week internship experience that provides an engaging and highly educational experience to undergraduates seeking to build a career in private equity. Our Summer Analysts gain a broad range of investment exposure by providing research, analytical and deal process support to our teams. The Summer Analyst Program is designed for candidates entering their senior year of college at the time of the internship (undergraduate Class of 2024) who are pursuing their bachelor’s degree, ideally in business, Finance or Economics. The firm is highly committed to the Summer Analyst Program, and it is the main pipeline into our full-time Investment Analyst Program. Top performers will have an opportunity to join the firm in a full-time analyst capacity after graduation.
The Primary, Secondary, and Co-investment Teams seeks to hire 2-3 Summer Analysts per investment strategy. We will review applications and interview candidates on a rolling basis, and candidates who apply to multiple opportunities may hear back regarding different roles at different times. Selected candidates will interview with individuals from our Primary, Secondary and Co-Investments Teams. Successful candidates will be notified of their offer to join one of these investment teams once interviews conclude.
Specifically, the Intern Analyst will be involved with and responsible for:
- Researching and summarizing specific industry, market and trend research on a company, sector or geography level
- Supporting the investment associate team in the development and maintenance of deal and market intelligence
- Supporting deal sourcing activities within the investment team(s)
- Conducting relevant competitive analysis and market research on the private markets industry
- Communicating, either verbal or written, key findings, executive summaries and analyses
- Performing other ad hoc projects, which may reflect the needs of the broader global investment platform
About the Primary Investment Team
The Primary Investment Team at Adams Street invests in venture, buyout, and credit funds at the time they are being raised. The team has been an active investor in private equity funds since 1979 and has longstanding relationships with some of the world’s most sought-after general partners. The team has a broad global mandate and invests in funds across a range of geographies, stages, and subclasses. The Primary team has consistently delivered strong risk-adjusted returns and record distributions across multiple business cycles.
About the Secondary Investment Team
Adams Street’s secondary investment team consists of 15 professionals globally. To date, Adams Street has closed on over 250 secondary transactions, ranging from traditional acquisitions of limited partnership interests from other private equity fund investors to more complex, structured acquisitions of portfolios of direct company interests and creative liquidity solutions to fund managers.
About the Co-Investment Team
The Co-Investment Team at Adams Street invests directly into companies alongside leading private equity managers. The team has a broad global mandate that invests in companies of all sizes, industries and geographies. The firm has been an active co-investor having committed over $2.6 billion to over 185 companies since 1989. The team leverages the firm’s knowledge base and relationships across the primary, secondary, private credit and venture/growth teams. The Co-Investment Team’s disciplined and balanced approach to investing has generated exceptional long-term returns.
Qualifications
Here at Adams Street, we hold ourselves to high standards and expect no less of our internship applicants. Ideal candidates must have a genuine interest in alternative investments. Additional characteristics of a successful Summer Analyst at our firm are:
- Strong academic credentials (high GPA, reputable university) with a major in finance, business, economics, or other related studies
- High degree of resourcefulness in conducting research and analysis
- Demonstrable initiative, commitment toward excellence in work and great attention-to-detail
- Self-disciplined, takes accountability and operates with integrity
- Team oriented with a heavy emphasis on written and verbal communication
- Ability to act transparently by owning mistakes and learning from them
- High degree of professionalism by exercising discretion, judgment, and honoring confidentiality
- Command of Microsoft applications including familiarity with Excel and PowerPoint
- Must be willing to be based in Chicago, IL.
Adams Street Partners is committed to providing all Summer Analysts with a foundational understanding of the private markets industry. Highlights of our program include:
- Participation in cross-firm training sessions designed to offer visibility on the activities of different teams
- Hybrid home/office model to increase flexibility and balance work and personal priorities
- Access to internal training resources and the guidance of a mentor to bridge the educational gap
- Exposure to deal flow, strategy, and operations as an observer in investment team meetings
- Professional development sessions on professionalism in the workplace and career path coaching
- Active engagement with employees through summer social and networking events.