The Evli trainee program offers recent graduates or students in the final stages of their studies the opportunity to become acquainted with working in investment banking, in various positions. According to Tiia Sinisalo, a participant in the trainee program that began in the autumn of 2020, an internship at Evli Growth Partners and Evli gave her a fast and deep learning curve in a warm work environment surrounded by top tier professionals.
“When I applied to Evli’s Internship program in January 2020, I was convinced that Evli is an excellent fit for me. I had discussed Evli with my fellow students and co-workers, who had worked at Evli either as a trainee or in a permanent position. I got the impression that people at Evli are extremely talented and welcoming. The conversations convinced me that an internship at Evli would ensure an enhanced learning curve and a great experience. I decided to apply for a position in Evli Growth Partner’s team due to a combination of my genuine interest in the Venture Capital sector and my background as a business developer.
During my time at Evli Growth Partners, I got the opportunity to get familiar with the Venture Capital world by seeing the investment process from the beginning to working with the portfolio companies. One of the two best things about my internship has been that I have been able to learn a lot. My team made very clear from the beginning that there are no wrong or silly questions and with their encouragement, I felt confident about asking questions about anything. Adding this to my diverse and challenging tasks, the internship helped me to distinguish what I am particularly good at and what I still need to improve. During the three months internship, I participated in a discussion about whether we should invest in those companies or not with the operational team and Evli Growth Partners, I conducted a few industry analyses and participated in the due diligence process. In addition, I attended the Artic15 e-event as an investor, where I pitched our fund to start-ups as well as listened to their pitch and offers for the investment.
The other great thing, from the many amazing experiences, was the people and culture at Evli. Other teams organised short introductions in their functions, which helped in understanding Evli’s operations in the bigger picture. When it comes to Evli’s culture, I was impressed by Evli’s goals to improve sustainability in their operations and encourage female students in their careers. As an active member of the Women’s Career Society, I was thrilled that Evli was one of the companies that participated in the workshop organised by our society. The workshop intended to give support for the recruitment process by giving insights on how to prepare for the interview.
To summarise, Evli’s trainee program has met and gone beyond my expectations. An internship at Evli provides a student with a variety of challenging and motivating tasks. The trainee’s learning curve can be as fast and deep as wished for. Overall, I felt that the internship gave me an incredible amount of new experience and I was a valuable part of the team and Evli all the time.
Tiia Sinisalo, Trainee at Evli in the autumn 2020 Trainee program
