Associate

Role Overview

Founders Advisors is seeking an Associate to join its Consumer team, advising founder- and family-owned businesses across consumer services, multi-unit restaurant and retail, and consumer goods on sell-side M&A, capital raises, and strategic transactions. This is a client-facing role for a banker who has moved beyond pure modeling and analysis and is ready to grow into greater ownership of live deals — working closely with senior bankers, taking on increasing responsibility for workstreams and analyst oversight, and developing into the primary link between clients, buyers, and investors.

Under the guidance of senior bankers, you will build toward running point on marketing materials, valuation work, buyer and investor outreach, and diligence coordination, while ensuring the work product delivered to clients reflects the quality and care Founders Advisors is known for.

Key Responsibilities

- Take on growing responsibility for day-to-day execution on live sell-side and buy-side engagements, working alongside senior bankers to develop into the deal quarterback role over time

- Build and maintain financial models and valuation analyses — including DCF, precedent transaction, trading comparable, and LBO analyses — to support deal positioning and negotiations

- Contribute to and help direct the development of marketing materials, including teasers, confidential information memoranda (CIMs), management presentations, and new-business pitch materials

- Support buyer and investor outreach, including tracking engagement, helping coordinate first-round meetings, and maintaining process trackers

- Help manage virtual data rooms and the diligence process, including document organization, buyer Q&A, and coordination of management diligence sessions

- Serve as a client-facing point of contact on execution matters, translating financial, commercial, and operational detail into clear, decision-ready analysis

- Begin mentoring and reviewing the work of Analysts, building toward fuller oversight of their work product as your experience grows

- Partner closely with senior bankers (Vice Presidents, Directors, and Partners) to learn and help shape deal strategy, process design, and client messaging

- Build sector knowledge and help maintain supporting materials — industry overviews, precedent transaction trackers, and market trend analysis — for the Consumer team

Qualifications

Qualifications & Experience

- Bachelors degree required

- 4–6 years of investment banking experience, with some exposure to industrials transactions preferred but not required

- Demonstrated experience serving as a deal quarterback, execution lead, or project manager

- Strong interpersonal skills, especially in client-facing situations

- Strong technical skills in financial modeling, valuation, and transaction execution

- Proven ability to manage teams, timelines, and competing priorities

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills

- High attention to detail, strong judgment, and a service-oriented mindset