Business Development Representative

We're an AI-native investment bank that organizes, grows, and accelerates the sale of legacy industrial businesses, making world-class M&A accessible to owners who've never had it. Backed early by DRW, Motivate VC, and Mercury Fund, we’ve closed tens of millions in deals thus far with over $350M in exclusive deals already in motion. We’re not just cleaning up numbers, we’re rewriting the exit playbook for America’s backbone: the founders who’ve spent decades building $10m-200m companies and deserve a premium, modern handoff. Job Description We're an AI-native investment bank that organizes, grows, and accelerates the sale of legacy industrial businesses, making world-class M&A accessible to owners who've never had it. Backed early by DRW, Motivate VC, and Mercury Fund, we’ve closed tens of millions in deals thus far with over $350M in exclusive deals already in motion. We’re not just cleaning up numbers, we’re rewriting the exit playbook for America’s backbone: the founders who’ve spent decades building $10m-200m companies and deserve a premium, modern handoff. The Role If you want to develop your sales skills, learn sell-side M&A from the best and work on deals that actually matter, this is it. As a Business Development Representative, you’ll help identify and connect with Baby Boomer owners of revenue $10m-200m industrial SMBs through cold calling, email, LinkedIn, and other outbound channels. You’ll research prospective companies, start conversations with owners, qualify opportunities, and schedule meetings for Rowan Advisors. You’ll act as the first point of contact between business owners and Rowan, helping build the pipeline that leads to valuation, succession, and transaction readiness conversations. This is an ideal entry-level role for someone who is interested in M&A, private equity, investment banking, or sales, enjoys speaking with business owners, and wants to help redefine an entire category. And yes, if you’re elite, you can build a high-earning career here. We’re not capping your ambition; we’re fueling it. What You’ll Do Build relationships with business owners across manufacturing, distribution, and construction through cold calling, email, LinkedIn, and other outbound outreach. Start conversations about valuation, succession planning, and an eventual sale. Qualify prospects and schedule meetings for Rowan Advisors. Manage a clean, high-velocity pipeline from initial outreach through qualified meeting. Follow up consistently with prospects, rebook missed meetings, maintain accurate activity and contact records in the CRM. Be the first voice of Rowan in the market, earn attention and create opportunities. What You Bring Cold calling background is a prerequisite 0–2 years in sales, business development, finance, consulting, or another client-facing role. Confidence making cold calls and speaking directly with CEOs, founders, and owner-operators. Strong interest in finance, M&A, entrepreneurship, or industrial businesses. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Resilience, competitiveness, and the ability to handle rejection. Self-starter mentality with comfort navigating a startup environment. A willingness to learn, receive feedback, and improve quickly. Why Rowan Be part of the first AI-native investment bank for Main Street. Access to modern tech stack. A high-performing culture that rewards clarity, care, and execution. Chicago HQ (River North). What We Can Offer Performance-based comp: Earn $500 to $1,000 for every qualified meeting generated. Hands-On M&A Training: Build real transaction knowledge inside a modern, rapidly growing lower middle market investment bank. Work directly with experienced Advisors and investment bankers from firms including Rothschild, Goldman Sachs, and Deloitte, learning how opportunities are sourced, qualified, valued, won, and converted into active engagements. A Foot in the Door: Launch your M&A career at a venture-backed investment bank that is modernizing how legacy industrial businesses prepare for and execute a sale. Clear Growth Path: Develop into a client-facing Advisor who manages prospective sale clients from the initial meeting through signed engagement. Your Impact Every conversation you start can change a family’s future. You’ll help owners take the first step toward seeing the full value of what they’ve built and guide them toward exits that reward decades of hard work. #J-18808-Ljbffr