Although there is no single path to the top of Wall Street, some routes are clearly more common.
In the “Wall Street Rising Stars” list of Business Insider, 11 out of 25 outstanding professionals are alumni of Ivy League schools, which is more than twice the number of 5 last year. Nearly half of them began their careers at four financial giants: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Bank of America.
However, this does not mean that no one has taken more unusual routes.
We analyzed the alma maters and career paths of this year's nominees to understand how they entered the financial industry. The following is a microcosm of the next generation of Wall Street leaders.
Let's take a look at this group of people first:
The ages of these 25 newcomers range from 27 to 35 years old, with an average age of 32 years.
Among them, 3 people are under 30 years old, including the youngest one, Theo Saarinen, who is 27 years old and serves as the Chief Research Officer for AIA Labs under Bridgewater Fund.
By industry, 12 people work in investment banks, 7 in hedge funds, 6 in private equity and other private markets, and 1 works as a market maker.
New York remains the primary location for offices, with 20 out of 25 people working in New York City. Another 2 work in Houston, 2 in San Francisco, and 1 in Miami, which is known as "Wall Street of the South."
Their educational background
This group of people came from 20 different universities during their undergraduate years, including large research universities as well as top business schools and prestigious colleges of arts and sciences.
Eleven people attended undergraduate programs at Ivy League schools, which is more than the five people in 2025.
The University of Pennsylvania stands out particularly, with a total of 5 graduates.
Two of them continued to pursue postgraduate degrees. Bridget Chaudhry, the Managing Director of Goldman Sachs, obtained a degree from Harvard Business School MBA, while Sahil Singhal, a Portfolio Manager, earned a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics.
School List
How They Got Started
At least 9 people have spent their entire careers at the same company. The Jake Epstein from Blackstone joined this alternative asset management firm directly after graduating from university. The Maya Venkatraman from Morgan Stanley and the Bridget Chaudhry from Goldman Sachs, on the other hand, progressed throughout their careers at the very companies where they first started working.
AI The craze is shaping career paths
This year, 10 of the selected individuals were directly involved in the AI craze. Whether it was engaging in infrastructure financing or investing in AI companies, or developing investment strategies driven by AI, they all played a role in this movement.
- 6 people are engaged in the financing or investment of AI infrastructure.
- 2 people invested in AI company
- Two people utilized AI to assist in developing investment strategies.
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Title Distribution
- 8 Directors and General Managers
- 5 partners
- 2 Portfolio Managers
- 1 executive director
- 1 director
- 1 Vice President
Extra-curricular experiences
Three newcomers shared their experiences in college sports with us, including Mike Washington who played basketball at Princeton before joining Goldman Sachs. Jim Tilson played as a defensive end at Middlebury College, while Alex Winrich played soccer at Dayton University.
The data for this report comes from interviews and reports on token issuances ll, Alice Tecotzky, Ben Bergman, Jennifer Sor, Ashley Stewart, James Faris, and Bradley Saacks.
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