Graduate M&A Fellow

South Grand is seeking MBA candidates for a selective, team-based fellowship centered on live deal origination, research, outreach, and opportunity development. This is a remote fellowship for candidates who want meaningful, hands-on exposure to how acquisition opportunities are actually identified, qualified, and advanced in a live market environment. It is built for people who want to get closer to real origination work, not just study transactions from a distance. We will be selecting 6 fellows across 3 teams of 2. Applicants are encouraged to identify a partner and apply as a team. Both members of the team should apply. Applicants who apply individually and are selected will be intentionally paired with another selected applicant. A team-based, scored competition This fellowship is not just about participation. It is designed as a scored competition across 3 teams of 2. Each team will be evaluated on: • execution quality • targeting quality • origination effectiveness • commercial progress The highest-performing team will earn the Fellowship Award, which includes additional bonus compensation and recognition as the winning team of the program. This competitive structure is intentional. The program is designed for candidates who want real responsibility, measurable performance, and the chance to distinguish themselves through actual results. The dual-role structure The fellowship is built around a dual-role structure. Each team will be expected to contribute across two core areas: 1. Research / Market Mapping Identifying and evaluating relevant opportunities, building target lists, and helping determine which businesses are worth advancing. 2. Origination / Outreach Initiating conversations with business owners and decision-makers, gathering early qualification information, and helping move relevant opportunities forward. Teams will be expected to divide responsibilities based on strengths while working toward a shared objective. What fellows will do: • research industries and identify buyer-aligned acquisition opportunities • build target lists and evaluate company fit • conduct outreach to business owners and decision-makers • help qualify live off-market opportunities • organize findings and help advance relevant conversations internally • operate as part of a two-person team in a performance-driven environment What the experience is designed to develop: • commercial judgment • market mapping and target selection • business owner outreach • opportunity qualification • team-based execution • comfort operating with initiative in an ambiguous environment Who this is for: • current MBA candidates • strong communicators with sound judgment • candidates who are self-directed, commercially minded, and comfortable with ambiguity • people who want real-world exposure to origination, not just theory • people who are motivated first by the opportunity to learn, contribute, and prove themselves in a live environment Structure: • remote • team-based • 3 teams of 2 will be selected • applicants are encouraged to apply with a partner • both members of a proposed team should apply • selected individual applicants will be paired into teams • performance will depend on consistency, judgment, initiative, and execution quality Important note There is financial upside built into the fellowship, including team-based performance incentives and a winning team award. That said, the strongest candidates for this program will be the ones who are here for the experience itself: the exposure, the learning, the responsibility, and the chance to do real work in a serious setting. To apply Please follow the Easy Apply prompts. Applicants will be asked to complete an initial assessment as long as they meet initial requirements. Selected applicants will be invited to a video interview in the second phase prior to the final selection phase.