The Coffee Chat by Adventis

n this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, Ben sits down with Jimmy Johnston, a rising junior at the University of Illinois who just secured a sophomore summer internship at Morningstar and a junior year investment banking internship at JPMorgan, both in Chicago. In this episode, Jimmy walks through how a Prime M&A info night in his first month of college set him on the path to IB, how he beca...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, Ben sits down with Darren Shum, a junior at Cornell's Hotel School who just accepted a summer investment banking internship at Wells Fargo and turned down an offer from Nomura to get there. Darren explains how his unconventional major actually became a differentiator, particularly for real estate IB, and how Cornell's massive alumni network is bo...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, Ben sits down with Yash Bansal, a sophomore at the University of Illinois who just landed a junior year analyst internship at JP Morgan's Private Bank. In this episode, Yash shares how early stock market interest led him to finance and how a single cold email to a Merrill Lynch advisor helped him narrow his focus to wealth management over investment bank...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, Ben sits down with Magnus Gadowsky, a sophomore at Amherst College who started college on a pre-med track and just accepted a junior year investment banking internship at Triple Tree in New York. In this episode, Magnus shares how shadowing an orthopedic surgeon and an unexpected internship at Magnetar Capital sent him down a completely different path. W...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ben sits down with Hadley Siena, a sophomore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who just accepted a junior year investment banking internship at BMO in Chicago. Hadley shares how an international upbringing, including a formative experience in the Philippines through CISV, sparked her interest in business and ultimately led her to investment banki...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ben sits down with Eric Ren, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign graduate who built his way into investment banking at Deutsche Bank. Eric shares how he navigated recruiting during COVID, cold-emailed hundreds of bankers, flew to New York to network in person, and developed the technical skills that helped him stand out once he landed on the desk. If you'r...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ben sits down with Dave Hawthorne, Director of the Financial Markets Institute (FMI) at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business. They break down how FMI identifies and develops high-performing students for careers in investment banking, private equity, sales & trading, and more. Dave explains what separates successful candidates, why grit a...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ike Cymerman, a senior at the University of Michigan, breaks down how he secured — and earned a return offer from — TD’s Leveraged Finance & Private Credit group. We cover his internship experience, how he prepared technically and behaviorally, the role Michigan’s TAMID investment fund played in his development, and why networking conversations matter more t...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Sante Bambocci, a student at Bentley University, shares how he secured a highly competitive sophomore summer investment banking internship at Bank of America — and earned a return offer. We break down his early technical preparation, networking strategy from a non-target school, how he used financial modeling training to stand out, and what actually matters when...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Braden Donovan from Amherst College shares how he successfully landed a junior year investment banking internship at Arris Partners. We break down his networking strategy, technical preparation, and how liberal arts students can compete in a highly competitive recruiting process. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https://...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, we break down exactly how non-target students can compete for top investment banking roles through smart networking, focused recruiting strategy, and strong interview preparation. We cover how many banks to target, who to network with, and what actually makes candidates stand out. Sign up for the Adventis Financial Modeling Certification (FMC) program at https:/...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Christian Burmeister shares his real-world lessons from investment banking, private equity, and navigating early-career decisions. From closing his first deal to managing conflicts, weekend emergencies, and choosing the right career path, he breaks down what students MUST know before entering finance. If you're preparing for IB or PE recruiting, this episode...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ben sits down with Jay, a Michigan State alum whose career path spans investment banking at Wells Fargo, private equity at Huron Capital, and now corporate development at Perrigo. Jay shares how he broke into investment banking from a non-target school, how he outperformed during his internship (including being staffed solo on a live deal), and how early modelin...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, we sit down with Stephanie Hockman, a finance career expert with 35+ years of industry experience and founder of Alvista Loop talent development firm. Stephanie has reviewed over 5,000 resumes throughout her career at Arthur Andersen, Bank of America, BNP Paribas, and Amherst College. We dive deep into the art and science of building a standout finance resume, c...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, Ben is joined once again by Stephanie Hockman, a 35-year finance veteran, former Amherst College program director, and executive coach specializing in early-career recruiting. Stephanie breaks down exactly how to craft a powerful “Tell Me About Yourself” or “Walk Me Through Your Resume” response — the most important question in any finance interview. She reveals...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, host Ben sits down with Stephanie Hockman, founder of Alvista Loop, a talent development and executive coaching firm specializing in finance industry recruiting and career preparation. Stephanie shares insights from 35 years in finance and 10 years coaching students at Amherst College. You’ll learn why networking is really about relationship-building, not transa...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, host Ben sits down with Stephanie Hockman, founder of Alvista Loop, a talent development and executive coaching firm specializing in finance industry recruiting and career preparation. Ben and Stephanie Hockman dive into technical interview preparation, walking through how students can build skills from scratch — even with zero finance background. Stephanie shar...

In this episode of  The Coffee Chat , host Ben sits down with   Stephanie Hockman, founder of   Alvista Loop, a talent development and executive coaching firm specializing in finance industry recruiting and career preparation. Stephanie brings over three decades of experience in investment banking, higher education, and coaching. She breaks down how AI-assisted video interviews like HireVue and Sp...

In this episode of  The Coffee Chat , host Ben sits down with Ben Gleeman, a senior at Cornell University and founder of Banking at Cornell, a rapidly growing student organization helping undergraduates break into investment banking. Ben shares how he turned rejection from every top finance club on campus into motivation to build his own organization — one that now serves hundreds of students thro...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, host Ben sits down with Dalton Kahl, a finance student at the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business, to talk about the creation and impact of the Freshman Finance Academy (FFA).Dalton shares how the program was designed to prepare first-year students for early recruiting in finance, offering hands-on case studies, mentorship from alumni,...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, host Ben sits down with Ty Claiborne, a senior at Iowa State University and student-athlete who helped launch the groundbreaking Ivy Investment Banking Initiative. Ty shares how a humbling stock pitch competition against the University of Iowa inspired him to transform Iowa State’s finance opportunities for future students. He talks about creating the program fr...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, we sit down with Demetre Carnot, a 2022 graduate of Miami University of Ohio who charted a focused and deliberate path into high finance. From caddying for wealthy executives as a teen to landing internships at William Blair, Copley Equity Partners, and ultimately earning a role at Pritzker Private Capital, Demetre shares the exact steps he took to break...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat, host Ben sits down with Jack Starzyk, a first-year student at Miami University of Ohio, to discuss how to navigate the world of investment banking recruiting — from networking and technical prep to understanding the middle market vs. bulge bracket difference. Jack shares his early interest in finance and how he’s preparing to break into the industry, while Ben o...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, we sit down with Brian Etienne, a Miami of Ohio graduate who has built an impressive career in private credit. From starting out with no knowledge of the field to working in Chicago, London, and Paris, Brian shares the pivotal moments, skills, and networking strategies that shaped his path. We dive into the technical demands of private credit, the differ...

In this episode of The Coffee Chat Podcast, our guest Kaushal Dhumal shares his journey from high school business programs to landing a remote internship at a private equity firm while studying at Indiana University. We discuss the reality of starting with grunt work, building technical skills, and the often-overlooked importance of networking. From early missteps in coffee chats to refining outre...