--- title: 'Business Development Associate at Kaizen Equity Partners' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/business-development-associate-kaizen-equity-partners-scottsdale-8tege5ye4y95' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-16' --- # Business Development Associate at Kaizen Equity Partners - **Company:** Kaizen Equity Partners - **Location:** Scottsdale, AZ - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-01-28 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-16 - **Apply:** https://jobs.gem.com/kaizen-equity-partners/am9icG9zdDoth419LgTgI-aiai3TsrNd ## Job description Business Development Associate – Investment Banking (M&A) ## About Us Kaizen Equity Partners is a premier M&A investment bank focusing exclusively on the TMT sector. We close over $1B in transactions annually with a 90%+ success rate. Join our rapidly growing team of high-caliber professionals who excel in both relationship-building and analytical assessments. ## The Role - Deal Origination Strategy: Develop and execute outreach strategies to secure new sell-side mandates in SaaS and broader TMT markets. - Client Engagement & Qualification: Lead discovery calls with founders/C-level executives, assessing SaaS metrics, financial statements, and readiness for sale. - Pipeline Oversight: Track a portfolio of high-potential leads, ensuring timely follow-up, qualification, and conversion into active clients. - Market Analysis & Positioning: Research emerging technology trends and market dynamics to inform outreach strategies and pitch positioning. - Prepare Deal and Pitch Materials: Customize presentations and proposals with strategic insights that resonate with potential clients. - Collaboration & Mentorship: Coordinate closely with the business development team for smooth transitions from origination to execution. Mentor analysts, sharing best practices in sourcing and relationship management. ## What We Are Looking For - Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in finance, business, or related field with 1–3 years of business development experience in investment banking, private equity, or a similar environment, ideally with a SaaS focus. - Analytical Skills: Understanding of SaaS metrics (ARR, MRR, churn, etc.), financial statements, and basic M&A deal structures. - Interpersonal & Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills and experience building rapport with senior executives and founders. - Organizational Skills: Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple leads simultaneously. Self-driven and eager to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial setting. ## What We Offer - Competitive Compensation & Upside: Strong base salary with aggressive bonus structures tailored to performance. - Professional Development: Fast-track advancement for consistent high performers. - Dynamic Culture: A vibrant, entrepreneurial team environment, plus firm-sponsored retreats and social events. - Location & Flexibility: Collaborate on-site in Old Town Scottsdale for most of the year; enjoy remote summers. ## About Kaizen Equity Partners ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Kaizen Equity Partners is a sell-side only investment bank that provides strategic M&A advisory and capital-raising services to market-leading software and internet businesses. - **Entity Type**: Private (bootstrapped; no external funding rounds) - **Headquarters**: Scottsdale, Arizona, United States - **Founded**: Not publicly available (founded prior to 2022 based on earliest web mentions) - **Founders**: Shane Seelig (Co-Founder & Managing Partner), Zach Haarer (Co-Founder & Managing Partner) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Investment Banking, Sell-Side M&A Advisory, Financial Services - **Target customers**: Founders and management teams of B2B software, vertical SaaS, payments, HCIT, nonprofit HCM, and AI-native SaaS companies. - **Mission or purpose statement**: "To assist market-leading software founders with accomplishing outstanding transaction outcomes through extensive preparation, discipline, and continuous refinement." ## Products & Services - **Sell-Side M&A Advisory**: Exclusive representation of software and internet companies in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. - **Growth Capital Raising**: Advisory for private equity and strategic capital raises. - **Strategic Financial Planning**: Guidance on key growth and retention metrics to prepare businesses for a transaction. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not applicable (private services firm; no publicly traded equity) - **Key Metric**: Over $30 billion in total transaction value delivered; 94% industry-leading close rate; average 16 indications of interest (IOIs) received per transaction. - **Notable Investors/Partners**: The firm is itself an advisor; past clients include Clearcare Solutions and ResiDex (as shown on their homepage). Trusted by market-leading investors and public strategic acquirers. - **Growth Signals**: Maintains a 100% close rate on engagements, with deep domain expertise across multiple software verticals. The firm recently hired for a Business Development Associate role, signaling continued expansion. ## Competitive Advantages - **Sell-Side Only Focus**: Unconflicted alignment — the firm never represents buyers, ensuring founders receive undivided loyalty. - **Domain Expertise**: Team of former B2B software founders and investors who bring operational and transactional experience. - **Continuous Improvement Methodology**: A "Kaizen" (continuous improvement) process that refines each step of the deal lifecycle to maximize outcomes. - **Proven Track Record**: 94% close rate and average 16 IOIs per process demonstrate strong market access and execution. ## Strategic Focus - **Current priorities**: Deepening specialization in high-growth software verticals (SaaS, AI-native, HCIT, HCM, payments) and expanding the business development pipeline to source premium mandates. - **Direction for growth**: Scaling the deal team and leveraging a repeatable, data-driven process to maintain market-leading outcomes for founders. ## Why Work Here - **Culture highlights**: Candid, creative, and straightforward advisory style. Team described as "dealmakers" who take pride in disciplined execution and deep expertise. - **Remote/hybrid/office policy**: In-office requirement. All employees work from a physical office (Scottsdale, AZ), as per Built In. - **Notable perks or engineering culture**: Not a tech engineering firm — it’s a professional services environment focused on deal execution. Employees gain exposure to high-stakes M&A transactions, mentorship from experienced bankers, and a tight-knit team of 20 people. Recent job postings emphasize mentorship and collaboration. ## Sources 1. [Kaizen Equity Partners Website](https://www.kaizen-equity.com/) 2. [Kaizen Equity Partners Team Page](https://www.kaizen-equity.com/team) 3. [Built In Company Profile](https://builtin.com/company/kaizen-equity-partners) 4. [Built In Jobs Page](https://builtin.com/company/kaizen-equity-partners/jobs) 5. 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