Private Equity Associate Cover Letter Example

I've screened roughly 45 platform opportunities a year on a middle-market deal team, and the ones that make it past me are the ones where the growth story survives me trying to poke holes in it. I'm applying for the Associate role at [Private equity firm name] because your recent deals suggest the same skepticism-first approach to sourcing.

I led diligence workstreams on six deals that closed, totaling roughly $410 million in enterprise value, building the LBO and returns models the investment committee used to set final terms. On one platform investment, a pricing initiative I helped design during the first hundred days drove 22% EBITDA growth over two years, well ahead of the underwriting case.

I build three-statement and LBO models from scratch, run comparable-company and precedent-transaction analyses, and manage the diligence workstreams, legal, quality of earnings, management calls, that keep a deal on schedule. I also draft the investment memo sections that go straight to the committee, so my writing has to hold up as well as my numbers do. Beyond that, I sourced three add-on acquisitions for existing portfolio companies that made it to term sheet.

I would welcome the chance to talk about [Private equity firm name]'s current pipeline and where an associate who has already carried deals from screening through the first hundred days could contribute. Thank you for your time.