Why Northstar Capital: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

Northstar Capital Overview

Northstar Capital is a private equity firm which specializes in junior capital investments and equity co-investments particularly in lower middle market businesses.

The firm typically invests in companies with an EBITDA of at least $3MM and based in the US and Canada.

They participate in various types of transactions including LBO, recapitalization, refinancing, growth capital, and add-on acquisitions.

Northstar Capital’s thematic focus including:

• Outsourcing
• Channel Disruption
• Food & Agriculture
• Infrastructure
• Healthcare
• Sourcing

Douglas Mark, Scott Becker, and Charles Schroeder co-founded Northstar Capital in 1993. The firm is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Northstar Capital AUM

According to the official website of Northstar Capital, the firm has $1.7+ billion of committed capital raised.

Northstar Capital Interview Process & Questions

The interview process often changes with each candidate as firms see fit. However, if you interview at Northstar Capital or similar firms, you’ll most likely experience the following:

• More or less five rounds of interviews
• For the first rounds, you’ll be interviewed by the HR team or junior professionals, while the more senior staff takes the lead in the later rounds
• The interviewer will ask you a mixture of fit, behavioral, and technical questions

The entire process typically lasts for several weeks, unless it’s “on-campus” or “on-cycle” recruiting.

To get ready for interviews, consider taking my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Why Northstar Capital

One of the most common questions you’ll get during interviews is “why this firm?”

To come up with a more personalized answer, make sure to mention how the experiences and growth of the professionals you’ve met during your networking efforts positively influenced your decision to apply at the firm.

It’s also a good practice to research the firm before attending interviews. One good way to do this is to listen to interviews with the firm’s founders, investors, or management team. This helps you get a feel of how the firm talks about itself and how they operate.

Northstar Capital Case Study

Candidates with good communication skills and deep technical knowledge have a higher chance of getting selected for the role. To evaluate these traits, firms use case studies during interviews.

Case studies often require candidates to provide investment recommendations and perform financial modeling. But for junior roles, a cold calling case study may also be required.

Given its importance, I made sure to discuss case studies in detail inside my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Northstar Capital Salary & Compensation

According to Glassdoor, the estimated (median) total pay for summer analysts and associates working at Northstar Capital are $86K and $106K per year, respectively. Salaries may vary depending on the individual’s experience, education, and other factors that the firm considers.

Summer Analyst

Associate

Northstar Capital Careers, Jobs, & Internships

To stay updated with the latest opportunities available at Northstar Capital (and other similar firms), make sure to visit our job board regularly.

Northstar Capital Portfolio & Investments

Northstar Capital has made 145 investments according to Crunchbase, and manages seven funds as per the firm’s official website. Some of their notable deals include LumiSource, Rustic Bakery, and Drake Waterfowl Systems.

Notable Transaction: IronCraft

IronCraft is one of the leading designers and manufacturers of attachments and implements for agricultural vehicles such as tractors, compact track loaders, and skid steer loaders.

The Company provides various types of rotary tillers, rotary cutters, grader blades, disc harrows, and many more.

In August 2022, Northstar Capital announced its intention to make an investment in IronCraft, which is a portfolio company of LFM Capital. The terms of the deal were not disclosed to the public.

IronCraft is the 17th platform investment under Fund VII of Northstar Capital.

Next Steps

Do you consider working as a professional investor at Northstar Capital? If so, I would highly suggest checking out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

The Growth Equity Interview Guide course covers everything you need to prepare and stand out during interviews. If you need help preparing for case studies, financial modeling, and more – the course got you covered!

Check it out and start learning today.