Category: Consulting Career

Cover image for McKinsey Exit Opportunities: Where Alumni Actually Go, showing a consultant presenting career paths from McKinsey into private equity, big tech, startups, VC, growth equity, and corporate strategy.

McKinsey Exit Opportunities: Where Alumni Actually Go (2026)

McKinsey alumni land at four primary destinations: private equity and finance (~25% of post-MBA exits), corporate strategy and operating roles at Fortune 500 companies (~25%), tech and startups (~20%), and a long tail of CEO positions, government roles, board portfolios, and academic posts. The McKinsey alumni network is the largest and most active of any…
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Cover image for Consulting to Growth Equity: The Sweet Spot Exit, showing a consultant presenting revenue growth, unit economics, and scaling strategy in a growth equity investment meeting.

Consulting to Growth Equity: The Sweet Spot Exit (2026)

Growth equity attracts roughly 5-8% of MBB consultants between years 2 and 5, making it the highest-quality exit most consultants don’t seriously consider. Top firms (General Atlantic, TA Associates, Insight Partners, Summit Partners, Bain Capital Tech Opportunities) hire ex-consultants at the Associate or Senior Associate level with total comp of $250-500K plus carried interest at…
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Cover image for Consulting to Venture Capital: The Hard Truth, showing consultants evaluating startup pitches, VC deal flow, investment theses, and a highly selective funding funnel.

Consulting to Venture Capital: The Hard Truth (2026)

Venture capital attracts roughly 3-5% of MBB consultants, the smallest volume of any premium exit path, because VC firms prefer ex-operators and bankers over consultants for most roles. The realistic path for consultants is post-MBA Associate at a tier-2 or sector-focused fund, with cash compensation of $180-280K and carry that compounds over 8-15 years to…
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Cover image for Consulting to Hedge Funds: The Variance Exit, showing a consultant moving into hedge funds with trading screens, volatility charts, and portfolio performance data.

Consulting to Hedge Funds: The Variance Exit (2026)

Hedge funds attract roughly 3-5% of MBB consultants between years 3 and 7, the same volume as venture capital but with dramatically different economics. The two main paths are multi-manager pod shops (Citadel, Point72, Millennium, Balyasny) and single-manager funds (Tiger Global, Coatue, Lone Pine, Viking). Junior analyst compensation runs $200-350K base plus performance bonuses that…
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Cover image for Consulting to Startups: Stage, Role, and Equity, showing a consultant advising a startup team on product roadmap, ownership, and equity strategy.

Consulting to Startups: Stage, Role, and Equity (2026)

Consulting to startups is the third-largest exit path from MBB, attracting roughly 10-15% of consultants between years 2 and 6. The most common roles are BizOps, Chief of Staff, Strategy, and VP-level Operations, typically at Series B through late-stage companies. Cash compensation runs $180-350K with equity that ranges from 0.05% to 2% depending on stage.…
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