micro1 is contracting private equity associates to write and grade the kinds of tasks a deal team actually does — CIM screens, LBO builds, IC memos, diligence risk lists — so AI models can be trained and tested against them. Work is remote and contract-based, with observed rates of $45–100/hr depending on depth of deal experience.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.

What the work actually involves

You are not advising on deals; you are building the evidence that shows whether a model can. A typical block of work means authoring a task from a realistic starting point — a sanitised CIM, a set of operating assumptions, a capital structure — then producing the gold-standard output yourself: an LBO with sources and uses, debt schedules and an IRR/MOIC bridge, or an IC memo laying out thesis, key risks, value-creation levers and exit paths. The other half is evaluation: reading model-generated models and memos and marking where they break. That could be a circular reference silently resolved the wrong way, an exit multiple assumed equal to entry with no justification, a management-case revenue build that ignores the churn disclosed three pages earlier, or a memo that lists risks without ever saying which one would kill the deal.

What the screen looks for

The micro1 screen is AI-led and follow-up heavy. It probes whether you have personally built models and written memos that went in front of an investment committee, rather than supported someone who did. Expect to be pushed on mechanics — how a cash flow sweep interacts with a revolver, why PIK toggles change the IRR profile, how you'd sanity-check a management case against historicals — and to be asked to justify assumptions out loud. It also tests evaluation judgement, which is a different muscle: given a plausible-looking model output, can you separate a defensible-but-different assumption from an actual error, and articulate the difference in writing a reviewer can act on? Vague, consulting-flavoured answers score badly; numbers, ranges and named deal contexts score well.

Logistics

Fully remote, contractor engagement, largely asynchronous with occasional calls with project leads on rubric design.
Contributors commonly work 10–20 hours a week in self-scheduled blocks; some engagements run heavier during ramp-up.
Rates observed in the $45–100/hr range, set by depth of deal experience and by whether you take on rubric and review work as well as authoring. Pay is as observed, not guaranteed.
No AI or machine learning background required. Written English of professional memo quality is non-negotiable, since your writing is the training signal.

Private Equity Associate

What the work actually involves

What the screen looks for

Logistics

Interview prep — 10 questions