Why Lightyear Capital: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

Lightyear Capital Overview

Lightyear Capital is a specialist private equity firm that particularly supports companies in the financial industry through leveraged buyouts and growth capital investments.

The firm uses top-down analysis, theme-based research, and their network to drive their sourcing. They try to create a diversified portfolio across the seven sectors of finance which are:

1. Asset Management and Wealth Management
2. Banks and Brokerage
3. Commercial and Consumer Finance
4. Financial Technology
5. Healthcare Financial Services
6. Insurance
7. Tech-Enabled Business Services

The firm was founded by Donald Marron, Sr. in 2000 and is currently located in New York City.

Since inception, Lightyear Capital has worked closely with management teams and leveraged its operating resources, industry expertise, and network of advisors to accelerate growth and build market leading businesses.

Lightyear Capital AUM

As per the most recent regulatory filings, Lightyear Capital has $4.9 billion in assets under management as of May 18, 2022.

Lightyear Capital Interview Process & Questions

Firms can vary their interview process for each candidate. However, if you interview at firms like Lightyear Capital, you can expect the following to remain consistent:

• There will be 4 to 6 rounds of interviews.
• Junior investment professionals or the HR team tend to conduct the initial rounds, while the more senior professionals supervise the later rounds.
• The entire process can take multiple weeks – unless it’s “on-cycle” or “on-campus” recruiting

Interviews at Lightyear Capital will consist of fit questions, behavioral questions, and technical / investing questions.

If you need great resource material for your interview preparation, check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Why Lightyear Capital

“Why this firm” is one of the frequently asked and most important interview questions.

If you’ve had the chance to connect with some of the firm’s employees, this is a great time to mention whoever you’ve met and how their insights about the firm inspired you to apply.

You can also consider listening to interviews with the firm’s founders, investors, and key personnels so you can relate better to the firm and come up with a more appropriate answer.

To help you get started, here’s an interview with Jon Davies, Head of Talent, Lightyear Capital:

Lightyear Capital Case Study

Two crucial attributes that candidates need to have when applying at firms like Lightyear Capital are sufficient technical knowledge and good communication skills. Case studies help firms assess these two attributes that’s why case studies almost always show up during interviews.

Most case studies focus on investment recommendations and financial modeling, but cold calling case studies are also often required if you’re applying for a junior role.

Check out my comprehensive discussion on case studies inside my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Lightyear Capital Salary & Compensation

Lightyear Capital provides an estimated total pay of $79,918 and $93,619 per year to their analysts and associates, respectively. These figures represent the median and can slightly change depending on the candidate’s level of experience and qualifications.

Analyst

Associate

Lightyear Capital Careers, Jobs, & Internships

To see open positions at Lightyear Capital, visit our job board where you can also view other open roles at similar firms.

Lightyear Capital Portfolio & Investments

Since 2000, Lightyear Capital has already made 11 investments across three funds. Some of their notable deals include Advisor Group, Clarion Partners, and Schellman.

Notable Transaction: ampliFI

ampliFI is an outsourced provider of customized loyalty program solutions for middle-market banks and credit unions.

For over 20 years, ampliFI has already supported 1,200 loyalty programs for banks and credit unions in the US.

On September 26, 2018, Lightyear Capital acquired financial services company ampliFI Loyalty Solutions from Augeo Affinity Marketing for $140 million.

This capital allowed the company to improve their pay-with-points offerings and continue to provide sophisticated and customized reporting back to clients.

The said investment represents Lightyear Capital’s 14th transaction in the Financial Services sector, 3rd largest (disclosed) transaction, and 26th transaction in the United States.

Next Steps

Interested in landing a role in Lightyear Capital (or a firm like it)?

Check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide so you can ace your interviews, gain a competitive edge over other candidates, and maximize your chances of breaking into the finance world.

Growth Equity Interview Guide has everything you need to show up confidently during interviews, answer and perform the interview exercises effectively, and stand out from the pool of applicants.

Get the course and start learning today!