Private Equity Summer Analyst

Location: Kansas City

Summer 2026: June 1st – July 31st

Application closes February 17, 2025

For winter 2026 or spring/summer 2027 graduates only

About Five Elms

• Five Elms is a leading private equity firm, investing in world-class B2B software companies.
• We are investing out of our $1.09 billion sixth fund and have $2.9 billion in assets under management; we typically invest $10 – 150 million in each company. Post investment, we actively support management teams in accelerating revenue growth, building out the senior leadership team and further cementing their position as industry leaders.
• Founded in 2007, we’ve grown to 70 employees and invest globally out of our Kansas City headquarters and Lisbon, Portugal office. Portfolio company investments range from Paris to Sydney, Arkansas to Toronto, and Los Angeles to New York.
• Our highest performing investments continue to be those with strong company cultures and products that customers love.

We offer a unique opportunity in private equity

Five Elms offers a unique private equity opportunity, without requiring prior experience in investment banking or management consulting. We have a reputation for working with analysts to develop skills that will rapidly propel them forward in their careers with potential to join us full-time after graduation. Our Summer Analyst Program focuses on the development of top finance students through training, mentorship, and direct exposure to all aspects of private equity investing.

Funding growth-stage businesses is rewarding work

During this program, you will dig into the inner workings of businesses and gain meaningful experience in all aspects of private equity. This role is similar in nature to Investment Banking Analyst programs with robust training, but with more freedom, creativity, and hands-on investing experience.

The experience will provide exclusive exposure to the full scope of buy-side investing. You are expected to dedicate full-time efforts and be in the Kansas City office during the 9-week program.

Get involved with deals. You will be exposed to the full lifecycle of a deal including the investment evaluation process, negotiation, due diligence, M&A opportunity, and vast market/industry research.

Build operating and financial models. Data comes in disparate formats, sources, and currencies – all with some level of ambiguity. You will analyze complex data sets and formulate insights that help the team make investment decisions.

Establish relationships. You will represent Five Elms by identifying and learning to connect with CEO’s of fast-growing B2B software companies.

Develop and present investment memos. All our work comes together in an investment memo, which lays out the full qualitative and quantitative analyses of a deal including opportunities, risks, financials, and merits of a transaction. You will work with the team to create a memo and present findings and recommendations to the Investment Committee.

Provide portfolio support. We work in partnership with each management team to build great businesses. You will be exposed to and contribute to the operational value creation work within the portfolio post-investment.

Is Five Elms right for you?

You are highly motivated. Outstanding academic credentials, high attention to detail, natural talent, emotional intelligence, and interesting experiences are table stakes. You will be a part of an ambitious environment so you can learn and evolve your thinking.

You thrive in an entrepreneurial environment:

• You are highly curious and a natural problem solver; new experiences drive you.

• You have a proven ability to prosper in unstructured situations where there is no clear flight plan to reach the destination.

• You maintain a growth mindset and a bias toward action that will be the cornerstone of your success.

You like to win as a team, lack entitlement, and have fun:

• You have a superior work ethic.

• You like to win while operating with the highest levels of integrity, ethics, and trust.

• You will quickly appreciate that it is the people that make Five Elms a special place to work.

What steps are included in the interview process?

1. Written Application
2. One-way Spark Hire video interview (link included in written application)
3. Live video interview
4. A virtual case study exercise