The Project Wall Street Story

First: why did I pivot from Wall Street and found Project Wall Street? This is a very abbreviated version of events for context.

When I started college, I didn't know what finance was. Nor had I heard either of the following: “Investment Banking” or “Private Equity.” As someone who grew up in a background most would call “low-income”, what initially attracted me to finance was the prestige. Listen: my dad didn't have much to his name, and I was tired of feeling the way I'd always felt. Tired of feeling embarrassed. Tired of feeling less than. This begs the question: what led me away from Wall Street and towards founding PWS? In short: "Wherever you go, there you are.” My empathy for the working class, unique moral code, and (in some cases) general world views proved too much to ignore. No matter how much money I made, I couldn’t escape the kid I always was deep down – despite the man I thought I'd become. I'm not what most associate with finance, and that's okay. Maybe it’s more than just okay: maybe it's what finance needs.

NEXT: a very brief overview of our thesis (a tiny part of it) as to why we are fully confident in the viability of the help we can offer…

Economic Connectedness: People Need People

The more time spent with people of a higher socioeconomic background, the better your chances of upward social mobility. However, this is incredibly challenging for many reasons: namely, people tend to befriend others from similar backgrounds.

I am just paraphrasing the Chetty research sourced below. But the point is - a few networking calls won't cut it. Connections need to be long-term and meaningful. As an example of the benefits of EC, I will use my personal experiences as laid out below:

Pictured (left to right): Tyler, Mikey, me, Barton [Gordon is behind the camera]

This photo is from a summer internship abroad program through our university. We made a tight group of 5 friends that summer - I only knew one of them prior. But it was just 5 normal college kids hanging out. So, where are they now?

[Current jobs, left to right - skipping over me]:

IB Associate @ UBS, Sr. PE Associate @ TruArc, PE Associate @ LightBay Capital, PE Associate @ Ridgemont [not shown]

Note: all 5 of us were IB Analysts directly out of undergrad;

(Mikey and I even worked at Jefferies together for 2 years)

Is this a coincidence? No, not at all. Note the time stamp.

Pictured: quickly prepping for off-cycle IB internship interviews 8 days later

Now, look at the time stamp and location of the above. They were all talking about their IB internships or plans to do [x] all summer. It stressed me out so much that I decided to go all-in on IB prep the first day I flew back to my hometown.

That is what ultimately lit a fire under me. They gave me a bunch of good advice and I went ALL in on networking (because I was so late, there were only a select handful of decent spots left on the Street). Long story short: I did it. Had I not done that abroad program, who knows where I would be today. But I know I would not be where I am now.

Note: This is a screenshot from a video, it's a tough watch.

❮ POINT #1 ❯

That is the motive behind how we structure our mentorship. We want to get college students talking with people who have been in the industry for years - as often as feasibly possible. Because, eventually, a lot of things start working out. Learning the culture, the nuances and vernacular, how to loosen up, networking (eventually). It makes such a noticeable difference.

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❮ POINT #2 ❯

Do NOT use people. Inauthenticity is easy to pick up on and a bad quality. Be curious, not needy. Appreciative, not demanding.

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❮ POINT #3 ❯

But make as many friends as you can (of ALL social classes). Good things only come from truly authentic relationships. I have a buddy whose dad USED to work for the Hornets. 7 years into said friendship - he invited me to sit in his seats a few times...

How We Aim To Improve Wall Street

The students we choose to be in the Fellowship Program bring a unique outlook to Wall Street - one that fosters the innovative thinking essential for thinking outside of the box; developing new solutions, new strategies, new ideas. Given a chance, these individuals will (as empirically proven) outwork and outperform their peers. Also: our Fellows are some of the highest-achieving college students in the world.

By partnering with Project Wall Street, financial institutions access a pipeline of exceptional talent ready to reshape the industry. Together, we can create a more innovative and inclusive financial landscape driven by resilient and empathetic leaders. By investing in these low-SES, first-gen students, we aim to show that profitability and purpose can go hand-in-hand.