Career Paths

1. Worked full-circle on an early stage VC manager decision: I began by attending the firm’s annual meeting at the start of the summer, then conducted reference calls and performance analysis throughout the internship, and came back after the internship to participate in Princo’s final investment decision culminating in a commitment to the fund
2. Met with two extremely talented first time VC investors as they navigated building their firm from the ground up
3. Took part in diligencing a private equity co-investment into a rapidly growing technology company
4. Voted in four investment decisions totaling $500M in commitments over the first 2 weeks of the internship

1. Discussed corporate governance with one of the top public investors in Japan over sushi in Tokyo
2. Met with the CEO of a biotech company developing life-saving treatments for rare diseases
3. Participated in a $250M investment decision (in my first week!)
4. Between meetings in Singapore, visited the largest indoor waterfall in the world

• After several years in direct investing, I was drawn to endowment investing by the opportunity to combine my interest in investing with a strong desire to work in a mission-driven environment. Princo’s team culture and first principles approach to investing was very appealing to me.
• What I didn’t appreciate before joining is how the breadth of exposure I get at Princo would contribute to my investment acumen. At Princo, I’ve evaluated funds across geographies (for example, Italy, US, and India) and asset classes (real assets, long/short equities, and venture capital) and gained a new appreciation for how various types of investment strategies can create alpha.
• I have also had the opportunity to attend advisory board meetings, which gave me insight into how senior fund leaders think about the evolution of their investment strategy and organization, and the influence an LP can have. I observed firsthand how Princo both supports and challenges our managers to position themselves for long-term success.
• At Princo, I not only get to work with an incredibly smart group of people, I also get a very unique lens into the world of investing.

At Princo, I spend most of my time evaluating investment firms with a wide range of public market strategies. For my externship, I wanted to build investment acumen from another perspective and spent two months at a long-only public equities fund. It was an excellent opportunity to learn from some of the best investors in the world, deepen my understanding of business fundamentals, and expand my professional network. While the experience was fantastic, it ultimately strengthened my conviction that a career at Princo— and particularly the breadth of what I get to do here—is a great fit for me.
-Allison Halter ’18

After hearing our venture capital managers talk about their investments, I wanted to experience a startup firsthand. Princo quickly connected me to one of the companies in our portfolio, and I spent two months as an extern on the strategy team at Catalant, a Boston-based startup disrupting the consulting industry. My externship was an amazing chance to experience a completely different environment and get a deeper understanding of what goes on at the senior management level of a rapidly growing company.
-Jacqueline Lis ’15

• I joined Princo as an intern during my time at Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government, and subsequently took a full-time position after graduating in 2011.
• My goal when I started this position was to learn as much as I could from one of the best investment organizations in the world so that I would be able to use this knowledge one day to help individuals better invest. However, I received so much more than that. Not only did I receive a crash course in the art and science of investing from one of the true thought leaders in this field, but I also learned new ways to think about the world and I made lifelong friends. On top of all of this, I had a great time and truly enjoyed going to work each day.
• My Princo experience was absolutely essential to my development as an investment professional and informs much of my thinking to this day. If you are looking to work for an institution that values rigorous thinking and thoughtful deliberation on behalf of the best University in the world, Princo should be at the top of your list.

• Prior to learning about Princo, I had never seriously considered a career in finance, but I knew Princo was a place where I could think creatively, learn a ton, and make a positive impact. From the start my career as a Summer Analyst through becoming an Associate, I had opportunities to participate in high-level decision-making processes and work with an incredibly collaborative team.
• Working at Princo sparked my interest in how venture capital (VC) firms help transform founders’ ideas into reality. The Princo externship allowed me to gain hands-on experience with one of Princo’s top-tier venture firms during my externship, which confirmed my interest.
• With Princo’s guidance, I applied and got into Harvard Business School to continue building my career. Princo’s training equips you with the skills, confidence, and support to jump start your career, no matter where your interests lead you.

• I joined Princo not knowing what I wanted to do longer-term for my career, but I hoped that Princo’s broad exposure to different investment strategies and businesses would help me learn more about what interested me. Over time, I became increasingly convinced that Princo’s line of work was what I liked the best. Helping manage Princeton’s far-reaching portfolio through a network of external managers was a fascinating challenge. Along the way, I had the opportunity to learn from some of the best investors in the world.
• While Princo was a great place to be, I moved to the West Coast for an exciting new opportunity (and, importantly, to be in the same place as my wife). I left Princo to join the newly forming investment team at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, led by my former Princo colleague, David Lee. Princo set me up well for this role, through both the world-class investment training I received and the broader professional skills I developed such as networking, management, and decision-making.

• A job at Princo offers an exceptional vantage point—one that defies the traditional tradeoff between quality and quantity, marrying the two instead. Princeton partners with over 75 investment managers in many different asset categories and around the world, and we meet with hundreds more—quantity. Princeton’s managers are among the absolute best in their respective areas and constantly getting better—quality. This combination leads to the best investment education around. I’m really not sure where else you can (properly) learn so much, so fast, about so many different areas.
• Princo gave me 10+ years of experience in half that time–I met hundreds of investment firms and got a great sense of the broader finance landscape. My Princo work led me to develop a real passion for front-line public market investing. Princo allowed me to test out my interest through an externship with one of our managers. This experience proved invaluable and cemented my wishes to go down this career path. With Princo’s support, I got an offer from a long-short hedge fund that was by far my first choice for my next job.

• After focusing on international affairs at Princeton, I arrived at Princo without much knowledge of finance. At Princo, I learned not only how to analyze organizations and assess investment opportunities, but also built qualitative and quantitative skills that have been applicable beyond the financial world.
• Though it was a difficult decision to leave Princo for graduate school, I was grateful for the advice and support Princo provided. Among many other things, my time at Princo improved my writing and argumentation skills, which has served me well while writing my master’s dissertation.
• The mission-driven, fast-paced, and collaborative environment of Princo has been an invaluable reference point as I think through my post-graduate school plans. I continue to be grateful for the wide-ranging exposure, skills, and relationships that I developed at Princo.