Switching from infrastructure PE to a traditional PE fund

Hey everyone. I've been a large infrastructure PE fund in Europe for the last 2 years as an associate, and I'm now looking to make the switch to a traditional private equity fund. I'm a strong performer and I'm on track for promotion, but I just find the companies we invest in (pipelines, storage tanks, roads, etc.) to be, frankly, boring. I knew this coming in, and I always had it in my mind that I could try and switch after having some experience under my belt. I think that time is now, and I'm getting traction with recruiters.

  • Does anyone have experience making this switch? 

  • How were you able to sell the fact that your skills were transferrable to a traditional PE fund? Ultimately, a large portion of the work is very similar (modelling, deal process, thinking through risks, etc.), but I presume I'll get some pushback on whether I can transition to looking at companies with riskier or more complex revenue/cost drivers. (I think part of proving I can make the transition will be through the case study rounds) 

  • Did you position any benefits of hiring someone with an infra background to the funds you interviewed? For example, in my mind, the modelling in infra is a lot more complex and technical, and the level of diligence we do is more meticulous (bigger focus on downside and making sure every assumption in a model is ticked off), so I can bring some of that skillset to a traditional shop.

 
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