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INTERN SPOTLIGHT

Noah Katz is a first year MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. This Winter, he has worked alongside EIR Brian Corbat.

Noah Katz

University of Chicago Booth School of Business
MBA ’24

Can you describe your background and how it led to your pursuit of an internship at NGP?

I am an engineer undergrad, with work experience as and engineer and as an operations manager.  I came to business school because I loved my operations role and wanted to expand it, potentially via ETA.  I am very grateful to have the ability to explore different roles while I am at Booth, and being an intern at NGP is a valuable addition to my exploration.

Can you tell us a bit about the work you’ve done so far, and any interesting learnings?

Because Brian is well into due diligence, we have been building out decks and doing deep research into these specific companies.  Brian has done a nice job of exposing us to earlier search tasks as well.  The work content is a complete departure from anything I have done before, so each day is eye opening.  It might be less-so if you had previously worked in IB, consulting, PE, or a related field.

What is your team dynamic like?

I am grateful to have formed good bonds with the undergrads as well as with Brian and the other MBAs.  I was lucky enough to have a month of 1:1 time with Brian before the normal intern class started, which nice to have more responsibility and direct feedback.

What you have you most enjoyed thus far?

I have enjoyed opening my eyes to a completely new type of work and understanding where I can add value.

Any skills you’ve gained or unique takeaways? Pre-existing skills you’re building upon?

I appreciate the practice in evaluating companies.  Essentially using a red-flag checklist to quickly understand if a company is worth our time.  This has been good practice in flexing my new found business skills in investigating the market the business is in, analyzing their financial statements, and etc.

What stands out to you about NGP’s process that you’ve gotten to see first-hand?

NGP has a very interesting business model, seemingly finding the most efficient way to help searchers succeed.  One example is narrowing the strike zone of a potential portfolio company.  To me this seemed limiting at first, but I am beginning to understand the benefits of restricting the search to better support those searching.  Especially making sure they are within an industry that is an easy target.

What do you envision yourself doing in the future, and how is interning with NGP building upon that?

I think it is highly likely I choose to pursue ETA at some point in the next 2-7years.  I still need to feel out when the time is exactly right for me to launch a search.  Needless to say, my time at NGP has showed me one example of how to search.  I will undoubtably take best practices from NGP when I launch my search, if it is not as an EIR with NGP’s direct support.

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