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
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Edited by Jamie Regan - @CreatedByRegan
Hosted by Ben Dowell
Guest: Anthony Ellis
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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
