The Wall Street Skinny

Send us Fan MailIn today's episode we sit down with Camilo Acosta, founder & general partner of Perceptive Ventures, an early stage venture firm, and walk through everything you want to know about Venture Capital (“VC”). We cover differences between Angel Investing vs. VC, what a company needs for different series rounds (pre-seed, seed, series A, series B and beyond), how venture capital differs from Growth Equity, what it takes to get into the Venture Capital world, and much much more.Camilo Acosta is the founder & general partner of Perceptive Ventures, an early stage venture firm focused on AI-first investments across the U.S. and Latin America. Prior to founding Perceptive, he built generative AI products at Meta used by millions of people. Before Meta, he built a machine learning based payments company that partnered with businesses worldwide before it was acquired in 2020. He holds a BA from Princeton University, and is based in San Francisco, California.  You can follow him on Twitter @camilobacostaFor a 14 day FREE Trial of Macabacus, click HEREShop our Self Paced Courses:Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HEREWealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE. 

Send us Fan MailWhat is a company "worth"?  We are tackling this question in a multi-part series, starting with valuation 101.  We walk through the three primary methods of valuation: the discounted cash flow model ("DCF"), public comparables, and precedent transaction/acquisition comparables analysis....and explore how they fit together on what's called a Football Field.  Also, we explore the meaning behind the jargon you hear about all the time ---Iike EPS and P/E ratios --- but might not fully understand!  For a 14 day FREE Trial of Macabacus, click HEREShop our Self Paced Courses:Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HEREWealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE. 

Brian Weinstein, Head of Fixed Income at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, shares his rich expertise in fixed income investing. He dives into the mechanics of fixed income, the current market landscape, and the impact of economic policies on yields. Brian tackles the significance of the yield curve in predicting financial trends. With insights on career pathways in asset management, he emphasizes essential skills for success while exploring the distinctions between active and passive investing strategies.

Listeners get a humorous glimpse into a chaotic night involving a gas smell leading to an evacuation. The discussion delves into the Treasury Stock Method, revealing its impact on equity value and earnings dilution. Relative value trading is explored through the lens of the coffee industry, emphasizing fixed income strategies. Bond risks linked to leveraged buyouts by private equity firms are highlighted. Finally, the yield curve is examined for its crucial role in economic forecasting and investment decision-making.

Dr. Harry Mamaysky, professor at Columbia Uni and co-founder of Quant Street, discusses the role of quantitative models, AI, and quant funds in the finance industry. He explores the impact of technology on investment strategies, the use of AI in investing, the importance of coding skills, and offers valuable advice for starting careers in finance.

Discover how understanding client motivations can elevate your investment banking game. Explore the differences between hedgers and speculators, and dive into the complexities of GSEs and the mortgage market. Learn essential concepts like duration and convexity to navigate interest rate changes. The interplay of banks and public services reveals the financial backbone of society. Plus, get insider tips for acing finance interviews by mastering key financial terminologies and strategies!

Send us Fan MailWe tackle these listener questions and more in our latest Q&A episode!  1. What is the difference is between prop trading and the trading you hear about in the sales & trading division of an investment bank?  And how does a prop shop differ from a hedge fund?2. When running a DCF and choosing your beta for CAPM, when do you use the industry average beta vs. when do you use the company beta? We also get into predicted betas vs. historicals, levering and unlevering betas, if R squared is useful in making decisions about your beta, why banks purposefully don't use what the academics say to use and more.3. What are these mysterious Greek letters that people in finance toss around like delta, beta, and gamma?  4. Why would some industries like natural resources not use LBOs and instead only use a DCF, like for example when constructing a toll road.5. How do you choose between a career in banking or consulting?  If you want us to answer YOUR questions in our next Q&A, please write to questions@wallstreetskinny.com.For a 14 day FREE Trial of Macabacus, click HEREShop our Self Paced Courses:Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HEREWealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE. 

Send us Fan MailWhen you hear talking heads yelling at you or see a crazy meme on the internet telling to buy or sell a stock, how do you know if they are right or wrong?  Today we sit down with Anish Mitra, host of the hilarious podcast Laughing Stocks to discuss his journey through FIG Banking, investing in Goldman Sachs' reinsurance group (now Global Atlantic, part of KKR), and talent development at Goldman Sachs before venturing into the world of comedy and content creation. Anish explains how FIG banking differs from traditional banking (hint it doesn't really), how the foundational training on Wall Street gives you a toolkit with which to analyze companies and form investment theses, and we hear some crazy stories from back in the day when Kristen actually interviewed Anish for a job at Morgan Stanley Sales and Trading. Spoiler alert: it didn't go well.  Anish graduated from Brown in 2010, worked in FIG banking at Barclays then moved to a buyside role at Goldman Sachs (now Global Atlantic, part of KKR), then to talent management at Goldman Sachs when he finally left the finance world to pursue a career in comedy. He now combines all his interests: finance, education and comedy as a content creator. You can find him on Instagram and TikTok at anishkmitra and on LinkedIn, and his podcast Laughing Stocks on your favorite podcasting platform.For a 14 day FREE Trial of Macabacus, click HEREShop our Self Paced Courses:Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HEREWealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE. 

Send us Fan MailTwo of the most high profile exit opportunities from the sell side are Private Equity and Hedge Funds.  In today's uber-competitive environment, recruiting for some of these exits starts BEFORE you've even begun your career on the sell side.  We discuss why these jobs are so competitive and attractive to many young people entering world of finance.  What really is the difference between them?  Is one more lucrative than the other?  And, most importantly, WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU....if either???For a 14 day FREE Trial of Macabacus, click HEREShop our Self Paced Courses:Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HEREWealthfront.com/wss. This is a paid endorsement for Wealthfront. May not reflect others’ experiences. Similar outcomes not guaranteed. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. Rate subject to change. Promo terms apply. If eligible for the boosted rate of 4.15% offered in connection with this promo, the boosted rate is also subject to change if base rate decreases during the 3 month promo period.The Cash Account, which is not a deposit account, is offered by Wealthfront Brokerage LLC ("Wealthfront Brokerage"), Member FINRA/SIPC. Wealthfront Brokerage is not a bank. The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") on cash deposits as of 11/7/25, is representative, requires no minimum, and may change at any time. The APY reflects the weighted average of deposit balances at participating Program Banks, which are not allocated equally. Wealthfront Brokerage sweeps cash balances to Program Banks, where they earn the variable APY. Sources HERE. 

Susie Lee Korb, Head of Finance at Chord Commerce, transitioned from a successful decade on Wall Street to the tech startup scene. She discusses her insight into seed and venture capital, plus how her expertise helped navigate the Silicon Valley Bank crisis. Susie explains the nuances of municipal finance and offers tips for breaking into corporate strategy while juggling parenthood. The conversation highlights career adaptability and the importance of networking in today's shifting financial landscape.