FirePower Capital

Sep 2018 - Nov 2019 · 1 yr 3 mos

FirePower Capital is a Canadian investment bank focused on lower middle-market M&A. I joined as an Analyst on the origination team, which is a fancy way of saying I cold called founders all day.

It was my first real exposure to the M&A world, and it shaped how I think about deals to this day.

The Work

My job was simple in concept, difficult in execution: find business owners who might want to sell their company or raise capital, and start a conversation.

I made hundreds of calls and sent thousands of emails. Most went nowhere. But the ones that worked taught me more about business than any classroom ever could.

What I Learned

Cold outreach is a masterclass in rejection. You learn quickly that "no" usually means "not right now" or "I don't know you yet." Persistence, paired with genuine curiosity, opens doors.

I also learned that most founders have never thought seriously about selling until someone asks. The question itself plants a seed.

The Partnership

I worked closely with Seb, one of the Partners. We're cognitive opposites: he's methodical and process-driven, I'm intuitive and relationship-driven. The tension was productive.

He taught me to slow down and build systems. I like to think I taught him that sometimes you just need to pick up the phone and figure it out.

Looking Back

FirePower gave me the foundation for everything that came after. The pattern recognition, the deal instincts, the comfort with ambiguity. It all started here.

Plus, I got really good at finding anyone's email address.