Life as a Raising Partners Intern – Kienan

I joined Raising Partners as an intern a little over two months ago, not entirely sure what to expect when I started. I am now in the last week of my internship but my time with Raising Partners will not stop here, as I will soon begin a new chapter as a full-time investment analyst. Although it has only been two months, it certainly has been quite a journey from then to now; I have learned more than I could have ever anticipated and met some lovely people along the way.

The team knew that I was graduating so they knew they were in a position to offer me a full-time role provided there was interest on both sides; when I received the offer I didn’t have to think about it very hard at all. Everything about working at Raising Partners is wonderful – the work we do is exciting, varied and purpose-driven; the people who make up the team are delightful, fun, intelligent and so committed to what they do; the work culture is relaxed and friendly but that takes nothing away from the professionalism of the team.

Getting to this point would not have been possible without the internship opportunity being first presented to me as a Saltire Scholar. The Saltire Scholar programme by Entrepreneurial Scotland offers students from Scottish universities the chance to secure internships in companies operating all around the world. As a former Scholar herself, Raising Partners’ founder, Helena Murphy, knew how valuable these experiences can be for young people.

I was hired as a marketing and investment intern, with my work being split between contributing to Raising Partners’ digital education platform, Runway, and doing investment research and investor readiness work. In my new role, I will be an investment analyst, working primarily within the investment team while also continuing to contribute to Runway.

I have learned an incredible amount over the course of my internship. Through exposure to executive level meetings and other interactions with clients as well as internal meetings, I have been able to see the mechanics of running, operating and growing a business. From writing and editing many content pieces, I have learned about content creation and I have developed my knowledge of marketing through weekly meetings with Made of Möre, the marketing agency we work with. Finally, I have learned so much about early stage investment from both the perspective of the startup and the perspective of the investor, and I have learned a lot about crowdfunding which I knew almost nothing about before joining Raising Partners.

I have previously mentioned about the work culture here – it really is the best. Everyone values kindness and respect above all else, we’re given great opportunities to learn and grow and at the same time our mental and physical wellbeing is never taken for granted. We have fun while we work while ensuring that we provide the highest quality service to our clients.

The best moment of my internship experience was definitely when I had the opportunity to meet my colleagues in London, spend time with them and get to know them better in person.

As I begin my new role, the main thing I am feeling is excitement. I am excited to be a part of a fast-growing, dynamic business, working with an extremely varied set of clients, doing impactful work in an ever-changing industry. This is my first full-time job and there is a lot I want to achieve and develop within myself as I grow into this role. I want to develop a genuine expertise in this sector and add real value to our clients in doing so. I am looking forward to it!