INTERN SPOTLIGHT
A first year at Yale SOM, Alora Cash has been working alongside EIR Adam Philpot in preparation for a post-MBA search.
Alora Cash
Yale School of Management
MBA ’25
Can you describe your background and how it led to your pursuit of an internship at NGP?
Before starting my MBA at Yale SOM, I studied global politics at Washington and Lee University, spent a few summers working for the U.S. Senate, managed investor relationships in Vanguard’s high net worth group, joined the Venture for America entrepreneurship fellowship, and served as Chief of Staff at IRIS Solutions. While working at IRIS, a Search Fund Accelerator portfolio company, I was exposed to the ETA model and mentored by the CEO, Reggie Stevens. I really enjoyed working in a small business environment that was also interconnected to a broader business network. When you lead a small company, every choice you make impacts employees’ lives. Having experienced this, I knew I would find it difficult to go back to a more segmented corporate role and began pursuing my own ETA journey. After learning about NextGen’s internship program from a fellow SOM ETA Club leader, I knew this would be a great opportunity to gain hands-on training from an actively searching EIR while also learning more about NextGen’s approach to ETA.
Can you tell us a bit about the work you’ve done so far, and any interesting learnings?
The EIR I have supported over the past few weeks, Adam Philpot, is keenly interested in acquiring a company within the broader healthcare industry. As such, I have conducted research on continuing medical education and remote patient monitoring services, analyzed target companies’ business structure and financials, and helped prepare investment thesis content. After reviewing many healthcare-related small businesses, I have a much greater appreciation for the intentional community involvement to which many of these organizations dedicated time towards.
What is your team dynamic like?
Adam has crafted a very collegial environment wherein interns are welcome and invited to freely share their thoughts and analysis.
What you have you most enjoyed thus far?
In fact, while there are many aspects of this internship I have greatly enjoyed, I particularly enjoy our team analysis sessions! I have learned so much from hearing everyone’s perspective and can clearly see how valuable it is to surround yourself with a cohort of diverse perspectives throughout the search process. It’s really cool to see how our differing backgrounds lead each of us to notice and call out unique and interesting aspects of whatever business or industry we are analyzing!
Any skills you’ve gained or unique takeaways? Pre-existing skills you’re building upon?
Sourcing businesses is harder than I anticipated. Even though the internet has been widely available for several decades, the range of information quality is shockingly wide! I better understand the common searcher’s perspective that talking to people actually working in the field is often more valuable that just having access to the best information available on the internet.
What stands out to you about NGP’s process that you’ve gotten to see first-hand?
I really appreciate the intense investment NGP makes in the intern cohort. My expectations on learning and enrichment have been far exceeded! The NGP team has created a very well-structured, well-resourced learning process that will serve interns far beyond the internship itself. The exposure that we get to senior leaders is also very impactful, perhaps even more so for many of the undergraduate interns who are so early in their careers!
What do you envision yourself doing in the future, and how is interning with NGP building upon that?
I envision myself leading, building, and growing companies that benefit shareholders and the communities in which they operate. Given my experiences, I believe that Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition is the best path to pursue this goal. My time with NGP has provided me with the skills and exposure needed to move forward on this path after graduating.
