Michael Dell's family office is merging with merchant bank BDT to form a new investment and advisory firm.
Back in 2008, when he was still working at Goldman Sachs, Trott was publicly praised by Warren Buffett, whose distaste for M&A bankers — and Goldman Sachs — is notorious on Wall Street.
"Byron is the rare investment banker who puts himself in his client's shoes," Buffett said in a letter to investors.
The combination, the companies said on Thursday, "will create the preeminent advisory and investment firm serving the distinct needs of family- and founder-led business owners and strategic, long-term investors."
Here's how Trott, a Midwest native, went from a small-town football player to an investment banker advising billionaires: