Business Development Associate - Private Equity Firm

Our client is a middle market Private Equity Firm based in Denver, CO.

The Firm is seeking a driven Business Development Associate to lead proactive outbound origination efforts. This is a high-activity, relationship-building role focused on identifying and engaging prospective platform and add-on acquisition targets across the Firm's core verticals. The successful candidate will be the engine behind a proprietary deal pipeline.

The Associate will:

• Execute high-volume outbound outreach (calls, emails, Linked In) to business owners, CEOs, and operators across target verticals
• Build and manage a robust prospect database, tracking all outreach activity, conversation notes, and follow-up cadences
• Conduct market mapping exercises to identify acquisition targets in fragmented sub-sectors
• Qualify inbound and outbound prospects through initial conversations to assess fit with the Firm's investment criteria
• Develop and maintain relationships with business brokers, regional investment bankers, and industry intermediaries
• Collaborate with the deal team to hand off qualified opportunities and support early-stage diligence as needed
• Prepare weekly pipeline reports and sourcing activity summaries for senior leadership
• Represent the Firm at industry conferences, networking events, and industry association meetings

• 2–4 years of experience in a role involving structured outbound outreach, business development, or deal origination
• Familiarity with private equity and M&A concepts (EBITDA, deal structure, LOI process)
• Demonstrated comfort and persistence with cold calling and cold email outreach
• Highly organized with strong pipeline management and follow-through habits
• Excellent verbal communication skills — able to quickly build credibility in a 60-second conversation with a business owner
• Proficiency with CRM tools and outreach platforms (Thrive TRM, Source Whale, Salesforce, or similar)
• Denver-based or willing to relocate.
• Bachelor’s degree required. Background in finance, business, or economics preferred.

• Background in investment banking, or PE-backed platform environments
• Experience at a lower middle market PE firm in a sourcing or analyst role
• Familiarity with Pitch Book or similar deal intelligence platforms