Rothschild

Rothschild holds the unique position of being the only family-controlled company on the list, which has been controlled by the Rothschilds (if the name wasn’t enough of a giveaway) since its founding over 200 years ago.

Rothschild’s private ownership is a huge plus according to one MBA. “One of the biggest differences from the other banks is that Rothschild is private, so they don’t have to hit quarterly expectations.  This allows the firm to truly give the best advice possible and foster business based on relationships rather than revenue.”

Naturally, as such an established company, Rothschild has branches covering nearly all professional sectors, giving you optionality in terms of the field you’d like to work in. Although the company name doesn’t hold as much sway in the US as, say, The Morgans (JP and Stanley – again, we’re calling them The Morgans now), Rothschild does hold a lot of prestige internationally, particularly in Europe, providing opportunities to go overseas. The firm has 54 offices worldwide, and has been headquartered at the same location in London since its founding.

Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey ranks highly for its favorable diversity in employment, a notorious issue that’s plagued the investment banking industry as a whole. The firm has also received acclaim as a restructuring advisor. Houlihan Lokey is also a great place if you’re looking to get into a leadership position early. As it’s laid out in its three-year plan: by your third year, you’ll be managing first and second year bankers.

The most common complaint among those working at Houlihan Lokey is the lack of prestige (relatively) to other top investment banks such as Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan. Many ignore this though, and prefer the highly-rated company culture, work environment, and the high caliber of their fellow employees.

Grace Matthews

Based in Milwaukee, Grace Matthews specializes in M&A in the chemicals sector. The firm has worked with a variety of firms both large and small, and you can take a look at their most notable large transactions here.

They also publish a quarterly newsletter on the chemicals sector, which you can read here. Many of their employees had a background in engineering or chemistry prior to getting MBAs, so if that’s your background and you’re looking to pivot to i-banking, Grace Matthews may just be the perfect boutique firm for you.

Hauk Nelson is a marketing associate at TransparentCareer, a former e-sports entrepreneur, and drummer for his band. He is based in Chicago.

DON’T MISS: CONSULTING FIRMS MBAS SHOULD PUT ON THEIR RADAR