Adam Owens
ex-Qatalyst M&A | Break into IB with no finance background
3,160 min coached
52 followers
Studied at Stanford University
Hiring Manager at Lightspeed Venture Partners
Successful clients at
Available Thursday at 12:00 AM UTC
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Adam's Offerings
Custom hourly · $349/hr
Get help with Behavioral Interview Prep, Financial Analysis, and .
Adam’s Investment Banking Qualifications
Experience level: Partner or Managing Director
Adam has helped clients get into these companies:
As a former Summer Analyst and full-time Analyst at Qatalyst Partners, the premier investment banking firm in Technology, I bring firsthand expertise to coaching aspiring IB professionals. Without a finance degree or family connections in the industry, I self-taught finance and mastered the investment banking interview process, securing offers from Qatalyst, Goldman Sachs TMT IBD, and Blackstone M&A, alongside final-round interviews at Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, and Lazard TMT IBD. My journey from outsider to success at top firms equips me to guide candidates with practical strategies, personalized preparation, and insider insights to break into investment banking.
Adam can help with:
Behavioral Interview Prep
Financial Analysis
Mergers & Acquisitions
Networking Strategy
Resume Review
Technical Interview Prep
Valuation
About Adam
I was a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, Head of Binance Ventures, and an early hire at Y Combinator, where I joined as their first associate in Admissions & Outreach. With over a decade of experience in finance and investing, my journey began at Stanford, where I taught myself finance as an engineering major. I also worked at Qatalyst Partners, an elite tech M&A boutique, and Accel-KKR as their first intern in software growth equity. As a child of immigrant parents, I’ve built my career through self-initiative and strategic networking. I’ve coached dozens of people on breaking into VC and negotiating compensation from Associate to Partner level.
Why do I coach?
I know firsthand that landing VC roles takes significant preparation and the support of others. Thanks to mentors and peers who helped me practice my interview skills, I earned roles at some of the most selective firms in VC and investment banking. Now, I’m committed to paying it forward by helping others navigate the opaque investment interview process.
Work Experience
Head of Finance
Eve
2025 - Present
Overseeing Strategic Finance, Accounting, Deal Desk, Investor Relations, and Corp Dev at a unicorn AI company.
VP, Head of Ventures & Incubation
Binance
2023 - 2023
Hiring Manager
Head of VC investment and incubation at Binance Labs, the venture arm of Binance.
Founder & General Partner
Ringside Ventures
2022 - Present
Hiring Manager
Investor and strategic advisor to early and growth-stage startups.
Partner
Lightspeed Venture Partners
2018 - 2022
Hiring Manager
Led venture capital investments into startups from seed to growth stage. Invested across sectors including SaaS, fintech, and infrastructure. Deployed over $200M in capital across a dozen investments and sourced 5 early-stage deals. Investments: - Seed in Shipper (Board Observer) - Series A in Elementus (Board Observer) - Series A in Beam - Series B in Finix (Board Observer) - Series B in Alif Semiconductor - Token investment in Terraform Labs - Growth Round (2018) in Epic Games - Series C in Navan (fka TripActions) - Series D in Blend (NYSE:BLND) - Series D in ezCater - Series E in Seismic
Investment Banking M&A Analyst & Summer Analyst
Qatalyst Partners
2014 - 2017
Admissions & Outreach
Y Combinator
2013 - 2018
Admissions Committee
Adam was also given offers to work at
Goldman Sachs
Blackstone
Microsoft
Education
Stanford University
Master of Science (M.S.), Management Science & Engineering
Stanford University
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Materials Science Engineering
Admissions Committee Experience
Adam was also personally admitted to
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
6 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
Knowledge
5.0
Value
5.0
Responsiveness
5.0
Supportiveness
5.0
Adam has helped clients get into these companies: