Kevin Becker, M&T ’12
Hometown:
Philadelphia, PA
Engineering Major:
Bioengineering
Wharton Concentration:
Finance
WHAT ARE YOU DOING CURRENTLY?
Currently, I am an analyst at LLR Partners, a middle market private equity firm based in Philadelphia. We provide growth capital to companies with proven business models and strong management teams. I am involved with sourcing potential investments, running analysis on the opportunities to see if they are a good fit, working with management teams after investing and lastly helping the company figure out an exit strategy, which could be an IPO or sale to another organization or investor. As a member of the Business Services team my time is spent evaluating investment opportunities in the human capital management, business process outsourcing and professional services sectors.
HOW DID M&T PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR CURRENT ROLE OR LIFE AFTER GRADUATION?
The M&T Program uniquely joins together the business skills necessary in the private equity industry with the problem solving viewpoint taught in the engineering school to allow me to develop an opinion on any investment opportunity. Management 237, in particular, helped me to understand what drives innovation in an industry which is a key component to selecting companies that will be financially successful in the near future.
HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH THE M&T COMMUNITY?
Since graduating, I recently began conducting alumni interviews for M&T through the Penn Alumni Interview Program. I am also fortunate enough to be working alongside a fellow M&T on the Business Services team here at LLR. It is also nice to reach out to other M&Ts on LinkedIn and find out what they are up to. Staying connected with the undergraduates and alumni is a great way to expand my network and could potentially lead to an investment opportunity for LLR.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE M&T PROGRAM?
The best part, for me, about the M&T Program was spending time at the M&T office. Whether it was working on a project with fellow M&T students, hanging out eating lunch or just taking a break between classes, there were always interesting conversations going on. Bouncing ideas off each other and hearing different viewpoints is the best way to learn in my opinion.
WHAT ACTIVITIES DID YOU TAKE PART IN WHILE AT PENN?
I was very involved with my fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, while at Penn. I also was a Big Brother in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for all four years at school and actually still see my Little regularly while living here in Philadelphia. I recommend getting involved with that program if you enjoy working with kids as it continues to be quite a valuable experience for me and my Little. If you have some time to work at the M&T office as an undergraduate like I did, it is a great way to spend more time at the M&T office and interact with your classmates.