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In case you missed it, read last week’s issue here

Senior Bankers on the Rise

Numerous bulge bracket and elite boutique banks on Wall Street have hired dozens of new senior bankers to join their ranks in the past few months. We have seen this activity covered in past issues like Lazard beefing up their capital advisory arm with the hire of Klaus Hessberger. JPMorgan, for example, named industry veteran Jerry Lee as Global Chair of Investment Banking. The bank added over 300 bankers globally between January and April, focusing on sectors such as technology, energy, and activist defense. Several firms are also aggressively expanding across regions and coverage areas, preparing for what many expect to be a busy second half of 2025.
Why it matters: Senior banker hiring is a leading indicator of market confidence. lBanks don’t bring in expensive, high-level talent unless they expect deal activity—and revenue—to rise. By adding seasoned rainmakers now, firms like JPMorgan are positioning themselves to capture a larger share of M&A, IPOs, and capital markets work when volumes pick up.

Carlyle Acquires Intelliflo From Invesco

On Tuesday August 26th, Carlyle announced that they would be spending up to $200 million acquiring intelliflo, a UK-based financial advice technology provider. Intelliflo’s platform serves over 30,000 advisors across ~2,600 firms, managing ~£450B in assets; includes tools like CRM, financial planning, onboarding, compliance, and reporting. Carlyle plans to carve out Intelliflo’s U.S. operations into a standalone entity called RedBlack, focused on the RIA (Registered Investment Advisor) market, while Intelliflo zeroes in on the UK and Australia. This deal turned out to be extremely competitive with Bain Capital and Aquiline both being in the running to acquire Intelliflo

Student Takeaway: Carlyle’s acquisition of Intelliflo highlights how private equity and asset management is leaning into fintech and SaaS platforms, betting on technology that supports wealth management at scale. For us students, the lesson is that the future of finance isn’t just about capital—it’s about infrastructure: the tools advisors and investors rely on every day.

Definition: Operating leverage measures how sensitive a company’s operating income (EBIT) is to changes in sales revenue. It reflects the proportion of fixed costs vs. variable costs in a business.

One common way to quantify operating leverage is:

Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL) = % Change in EBIT / % Change in SalesIf DOL = 3, then a 10% increase in sales results in a 30% increase in EBIT.

Why Utilization Rate Matters: Understanding operating leverage helps forecast profitability and risk sensitivity. It’s also a key driver in value creation and multiple expansion, especially in SaaS or infrastructure-heavy companies.

Mistake: Failing to quantify your impact

Many candidates talk in vague terms about what they “did” in past roles or internships, but they fail to include numbers, percentages, or results. Finance interviewers want to see measurable outcomes because they demonstrate analytical thinking, attention to detail, and real-world impact.

For example, saying “I worked on a project to improve reporting processes for the team” doesn’t communicate real impact.

A stronger approach would be: “I streamlined the monthly reporting process, reducing turnaround time by 30% and improving accuracy by eliminating 12 hours of manual data entry per month.” Quantifying your contributions demonstrates a results-oriented mindset, shows analytical thinking, and helps your achievements stand out in a competitive interview pool. It also prepares you to answer behavioral and technical questions with concrete evidence, which is crucial in finance roles.

While general finance knowledge is important, developing expertise in a specific sector—like technology, healthcare, or energy—can make you stand out to recruiters and clients. Understanding industry trends, key players, regulatory dynamics, and valuation drivers gives you a competitive edge in interviews and deal execution. For students, this could mean following sector news, taking relevant electives, or completing internships focused on a particular industry. A well-defined sector focus signals both curiosity and depth, helping you transition from a generalist to a go-to professional in high-demand areas. Make it something your passionate about

It’s been a while since the last issue of Campus Capital went out, two full weeks. I apologize for any inconveniences or disappointments. I just moved in on campus and things have been flying by with little downtime being given to me. If you’re a freshman, don’t make the same mistake I did with starting college. Don’t underestimate anything at this level, the time to start making important decisions for your future is now.

Spend “syllabus week” getting ahead of your classmates and yourself. What I mean by that is this: Put yourself in a position where you are ahead of where you need to be, that way if you are confused or have questions, you will have more time to find a solution, go to office hours, or ask a friend for help. Don’t dig yourself into a hole week 2 that your grade won’t be able to get out of come week 8. Stay focused.

Welcome to Campus Capital. Each week, we’ll break down the finance world in 5 minutes or less.
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My name is Braunsen Bax, I’m a honors finance and accounting student-athlete at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois (45 mins outside of Chicago). I graduated from Walton High School in Marietta Georgia. Outside of the classroom I compete in the throws events for the Track & Field team, 35 time NCAA DIII national champions. I’ve had a love of finance and the business world since my sophomore year of high school and started Campus Capital to share that love with my community and like minded individuals in a similar position, with similar goals. My mission is to help people like me shape their futures to ensure they reach their goals while being up to date and educated in the Finance industry.