Meet Michael Herlache MBA | Founder, Investment Banking University

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Herlache MBA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Investment Banking University really began when my business partner and I were trying to figure out how to build a boutique M&A advisory firm back in graduate school. We spent hours whiteboarding together on how we could start the firm, get into deal flow and ultimately build a meaningful advisory firm. Luckily we happened to build meaningful relationships with the right firms which allowed us to gain access to cross-border deal flow almost immediately whether it was Islamic finance or companies trying to enter the Western markets from the East. This learning directly translated into the methodologies we use at Investment Banking University.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What sets Investment Banking University apart from other financial training firms is the focus on the strategic side of investment banking. We are the only training firm out there that teaches you senior banker skills like coverage, origination and how to land M&A engagements. The ability to become a trusted advisor to a firm and advise on strategic alternatives is an immensely valuable skillset which would take decades to be able to develop on your own if you even get the chance to reach senior banker status.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting the area here in Scottsdale, we would absolutely be going for happy hour at Cala, the new hotel restaurant bar in downtown Scottsdale. The vibe is definitely higher end and the chill house music sets the right mood for getting social and having fun. Additionally, grabbing a coffee in the morning from Peets in Fashion Square is a blast since you can take your coffee on the go and check out Zara, Sephora, and H&M.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to thank Investment Banking Institute and Wall Street Prep for the amazing formal investment banking training the prepared me to have high level conversations with investment banking and finance professionals almost immediately. If it was not for the excellent training, there would have been no way that Taimoor and I would have started AltQuest Group. I will always be grateful for the learning and growth that happened at Texas A&M University as well particularly the capstone course from Dr. Duane Ireland that really gave me a strategic understanding of business.

Website: www.InvestmentBankingU.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinvestmentbankinguniversity/

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