FAQ

Your days will be filled with a diverse range of projects and discussions. A hypothetical day could go as follows:

In the morning, you meet with a prospective hedge fund manager, who walks you through the firm’s investment strategy and organizational structure. After the meeting, you and the team discuss your thoughts on the manager and the next steps to take, which might include delving into investment case studies to better analyze the firm’s research process. After lunch, you attend an asset class meeting outside of your area of focus and learn about a new startup funded by one of our venture capital managers. Later in the afternoon, you finish preparing for an upcoming meeting in San Francisco, where you will meet with an existing manager about raising new capital.

We believe an intellectually diverse team promotes better decision-making. Our Analysts have come from a wide range of majors including East Asian Studies, History, Economics, Linguistics, Mathematics, and Engineering. Analysts develop technical skills and investment acumen both on-the-job and through training. If you are interested in finance (particularly investing) and making a positive social impact, we encourage you to apply regardless of academic background.

Princo believes in and invests heavily in developing talent organically. There is unlimited growth potential within the organization, and most individuals choose to stay beyond the two-year program. Several senior investment staff started as Analysts or Associates.

Princo also provides a strong foundation for a broad range of careers. The business knowledge, understanding of organizational behavior and systems, and analytical skills you gain are transferable to many other roles. Princo has an unparalleled network of top-tier investment firms and companies, which facilitates transitions as individuals think about the next step in their careers. For those who succeed in our Analyst program, we sponsor an 8-10 week externship at one of our investment managers or portfolio companies. Princo also provides advice and application assistance to those who wish to pursue graduate school. Former colleagues have gone on to work in start-ups, large corporates, non-profits, economic policy, management consulting, as well as direct investing (private equity firms, hedge funds, mutual funds). Others have attended various top-ranked professional and graduate programs ranging from business school to international relations. Many have also taken senior positions at other endowments and foundations.

Our interview process consists of a series of conversations with many members of the Princo team. We want to get to know you and your background, understand your interests in endowment management and Princo, and evaluate your fit within our organization. We also want you to get a sense of who we are and what working at Princo is like. We look for genuine curiosity about the work we do. Be prepared to ask questions during the interview.

Under normal circumstances, junior investment staff travel several weeks out of the year, typically to attend annual meetings, tour portfolio companies and assets, and contribute to on-going due diligence.