Why GTCR LLC: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

GTCR LLC Overview

GTCR LLC is one of the leading private equity firms which introduced The Leaders Strategy™. This approach involves teaming up with specialized management leaders so they find, purchase, and develop market-leading companies.

The firm is focused on leveraged buyouts, growth capital, leveraged recapitalization, and rollup transactions.

GTCR invests via a series of private LPs with investors from a variety of pension funds, institutional funds, and endowments.

The firm’s priority are high-growth industries in the following sectors:

• Financial Services & Technology
• Business & Consumer Services
• Healthcare & Technology
• Media & Telecommunications

GTCR is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA with additional offices in NY and West Palm Beach.

GTCR started as Golder Thoma & Co. back in 1980 as a result of Stanley Golder’s work at First Chicago Corp. The firm initially got funding from William Blair and later John Canning, Jr. took over from Golder.

The name of the firm was changed to Golder Thoma & Cressey, but when Bruce Rauner Joined, it became Golder, Thoma, Cressey, Rauner (GTCR), though some people still call it Golder Thoma.

GTCR LLC AUM

GTCR LLC has $30 billion capital commitments as of March 30, 2023 according to the most recent regulatory filings.

GTCR LLC Interview Process & Questions

Firms can make changes in their interview process for each candidate. However, you can generally expect the following if you interview at GTCR LLC (or a firm like it):

• You’ll undergo 4 to 6 rounds of interviews
• The junior investment professionals or the HR team will supervise the initial rounds, while the last part will be under the supervision of more senior staff
• The entire interview process can extend for multiple weeks (unless it is “on-cycle” or “on-campus” recruiting)

Prepare to receive a combination of behavioral questions, fit questions, and technical / investing questions when you interview at GTCR LLC.

Check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide for comprehensive interview preparation resources.

Why GTCR LLC

“Why this firm” is one of the most commonly asked and important questions you need to answer during interviews.

If you’ve met people who work at the firm during your networking efforts, this is the right time to mention whoever you’ve connected with and share how they positively influenced your decision to join the firm.

Another thing you can do before your interview is to do research on the firm. For this, I recommend checking out interviews with the firm’s founders, investors, and leadership team.

Here’s an insightful interview with Craig Bondy, Senior Advisor at GTCR:

More interviews

• Stephen Master, Managing Director at GTCR, joins discussion at Digital Media Summit
• GTCR’s Melissa Mounce on Talent Management in Private Equity

GTCR LLC Case Study

Interviewees are almost always required to conduct a case study during interviews. Case studies primarily assess a candidate’s technical knowledge and communication skills.

Most case studies at firms like GTCR LLC center around investment recommendations and financial modeling. But for junior roles, interviewers may ask the candidate to do a cold calling case study as well.

In case you need help preparing for such an exercise, check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

GTCR LLC Salary & Compensation

According to Glassdoor, GTCR LLC pays an average salary of $105,895 per year to associates and salaries range from a low of $84,000 to a high of $135,000. Keep in mind that these figures can still vary depending on your level of experience, qualification, and education.

Associate

From other public sources, recent associates at GTCR LLC have earned $137,500 per year, while there’s no recent available data for analysts.

GTCR LLC Careers, Jobs, & Internships

To see what roles GTCR LLC are currently hiring for, visit our job board where you can also find job vacancies from other similar firms.

GTCR LLC Portfolio & Investments

Since inception, GTCR LLC has made 41 investments and manages six funds according to Crunchbase. Some of their notable deals include Allspring, Cisive, and Regatta Medical.

Notable Transaction: Biocoat

Biocoat is a coatings provider specifically for healthcare providers, start-up companies, and equipment manufacturers who need lubricious hydrophilic coatings which are custom engineered to pass the clinical parameters.

On November 2, 2022, Biocoat announced that GTCR has provided the company with strategic funding. The specific investment amount was not disclosed.

This recapitalization of Biocoat allows them to keep on expanding in the biomaterial coatings market and potentially capture opportunities globally, improve product lines, and expand manufacturing facilities.

Next Steps

Interested in landing a role in GTCR LLC? If so, I highly suggest you check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide. This self-paced online course will equip you with the necessary knowledge, insights, and frameworks which can help you stand out during the interview process.

You’ll find practical examples, step-by-step tutorials, and easy to understand explanations of growth equity concepts that are commonly tackled during growth equity interviews.

Check it out and start learning today!