About Brian DeChesare

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About Brian DeChesare

Brian DeChesare is the Founder of Mergers & Inquisitions and Breaking Into Wall Street. After becoming interested in technology, he fled his hometown in New Jersey and went to California to attend Stanford University.

There, he majored in computer science, studied and worked in Japan, did stints at a few tech companies, and ended up quitting the field to “make the world a better place” by… becoming an investment banker.

This plan for world domination came to an abrupt end one night in 2007, when he crashed his car into a tree while driving home from work at 4 AM (Uber, Lyft, and Waymo did not exist back then). This life-changing accident convinced him to quit investment banking and teach other students and professionals how to get in.

Since launching M&I and BIWS, he has traveled and lived all around the world, including in South Korea, Australia, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and even small, quiet towns like New York.

Previously, Brian published a 5-part “Life Story” series on this site that covered his personal background in more detail. Due to concerns around privacy and relevancy (launching an online business was very different in 2007), he removed this story. However, you can get a short summary of his timeline and the site’s development below:

198X - 2007

Birth and Life in Ancient Times

Before launching these sites, Brian followed the standard “path” of earning high grades in high school, winning admission to top universities, and majoring in a difficult subject to win a high-paying job afterward.

He enjoyed writing even back in this period and spent time on fun side projects like a version of The Pearl (Steinbeck) set in medieval Europe and written in early-modern English. Other divergences from “the path” included a 6-month study/work trip to Kyoto, Japan, the Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) fraternity in university, and a side business designing websites for local clients.

2007 - 2014

Site Launch and Initial Development

During this period, Brian launched M&I, marketed it heavily, and released products such as the IB Interview Guide and the infamous “400 Questions” version. He also launched resume editing and coaching services and the main financial modeling courses on Breaking Into Wall Street.

As one of the first “digital nomads,” he traveled extensively while working, including significant time spent in Australia, South Korea, and other parts of Asia (taking the time for activities like jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, and paintball along the way).

Challenges during this period included a massive volume of content creation, relationships with affiliates/partners, customer service, and hiring the right people to expand. He also funded, produced, and wrote a web series called “Cost of Capital” for fun.

2015 - 2022

“Course Refinement” AKA Head Bashing Against the Wall

In this period, Brian made the stupid decision to make most of the BIWS courses far too long and complicated, such as by turning a 25-hour “main” financial modeling course into an 80-hour one. He released major updates and new versions of virtually everything.

While some updates were necessary, much of this effort was wasted; the time would have been better spent on brand-new courses or enjoying life in a hammock with several mermaids on a tropical island.

On a personal level, Brian spent time in various Latin American and European countries in this period, got into a long-term relationship, and adopted a calico cat. He survived COVID by drinking heavily and playing a lot of video games whenever the alcohol ran out.

2023 - Present

Something Ends, Something Begins

Brian finally came to his senses and began releasing new courses in this period, on topics such as venture capital, project finance, biotech, and private equity funds. He also launched 1-year plans and expanded the package deals and payment methods.

Partially out of boredom, he became more active on YouTube, including coverage of controversies like SPACs and the SpaceX IPO. Brian also used this time to split up and simplify many of the BIWS courses, reversing the negative changes from the previous period.

Most other parts of the business are proceeding “as is,” without major changes to areas such as hiring or marketing. There are no personal updates worth sharing for this time frame, but this page will be updated if/when something notable happens.