This summer saw Inflexion again welcome interns to its offices to learn a bit about how private equity works and allowing Inflexion to meet some great new people.  

Inflexion is proud to partner with both the 10,000 Black Interns programme, creating paid internships for Black students and graduates, and the 10,000 Able Interns programme, creating paid internships for disabled students and graduates of all ethnicities.

The annual Inflexion internship programme, now in its fourth year, offers genuine hands-on engagement and work experience alongside deal teams. Interns work with numerous people on the Inflexion team across multiple areas to get involved with research, assessing potential investment opportunities, and even sitting in on board meetings and calls with the portfolio.

For the fourth year in a row we’ve seen first-hand how our internship programme benefits all involved. We were incredibly impressed with the inspiring individuals we met, and we look forward to continuing to support people from a variety of backgrounds get exposure to private equity.

Kirsty Tikerpae, Partner, Inflexion

One intern shared her thoughts on the experience. After nearly a decade working in investment management in Trinidad and Tobago, where private equity is still in the early stages of development, Renee was excited to explore a new side of finance and apply concepts learned in her MBA in a practical way.

“When I was exploring internship opportunities, I knew I wanted to work alongside a highly skilled team. After researching Inflexion, I was genuinely impressed by the team's deep expertise and experience. It felt like the ideal environment to learn from some of the brightest minds in private equity,” Renee recalls.

She felt the team tailored the experience to her interests.

This meant that I got to dive into areas that I was particularly curious about, like researching potential targets, analysing financial results, and even preparing presentations for portfolio companies.

The level of involvement impressed Samuel as well, who was invited to board and investment committee meetings, and was actively involved in calls. “I got heavily involved in their expert calls with former c-suite managers, asking questions based on research I’d conducted beforehand. I was even empowered to conduct one,” he enthuses.  

Another intern, Nirmit, admitted feeling cautious about voicing thoughts or seeking clarification, but he then realised that the team encouraged curiosity and valued open communication. “By raising my hand and expressing interest in various projects across different sectors, I was able to engage more deeply with the work and learn extensively from experienced professionals.” 

The interns were struck by the fact that Inflexion’s approach goes beyond financial modelling.  “It was really rewarding to see how much genuine care and commitment the Inflexion team puts into ensuring their portfolio companies succeed in the long run. For them it’s not just about identifying strong investments, but about truly supporting and nurturing portfolio companies to help them thrive long-term.”

This holistic approach created a rewarding experience for the interns, with Nirmit commenting “I was involved in various tasks ranging from reviewing and amending legal documents, attending board meetings to financial modelling. This diverse exposure provided me with a truly rounded experience, enabling me to see multiple parts of the private equity process – it’s not purely about the financial models”.

As with interns in previous years, Renee was struck by the positive culture at Inflexion.

Private equity is known for being demanding and high-pressured, but the team at Inflexion manages to balance ambition and excellence within a truly collaborative atmosphere.

Renee says, saying she got to work closely with partners, directors, and portfolio companies. Samuel was impressed with the collaborative culture. “The level of talent was amazing. They came from good backgrounds, and no one was afraid to push the envelope. I could see how their thought processes were constantly working together and challenging each other, always acting to achieve the best outcome possible,” he says.

Nirmit agrees the culture is positive. “Strong fund performance often comes at the expense of a challenging or difficult culture. Inflexion’s combination of a positive work environment with smart and driven individuals is quite rare in the industry.”