- This is an unprecedented opportunity for students to work closely with professional investors to develop their stock picking skills, as well as receive direct feedback for investment ideas.
- Networking: Participants will have the chance to interact with judges and mentors while working through the ideas, at the networking dinner, and during the pitch competition.
- Prizes: $5,000 in prize money will be granted to the participant with the best investment thesis. The second and third placed participants will respectively receive $2,000 and $1,000.
The competition was founded in 2023 by Jordan Hymowitz, Pedram Nezafat, and Corey Tobin. Competition finalists are paired with professional investors prior to the final round to help refine investment ideas and better understand professional investors’ perspectives. This year’s panel members are:
- Matthew Finn, Head of Equity Investments, Thrivent
- Jordan Hymowitz, Managing Principal/Portfolio Manager, Philadelphia Financial
- Phil Ruvinsky, Head of the US Growth Team, BlackRock
- Corey Tobin, Partner/Investment Management Analyst, William Blair
- Arjune Budhram, Treasury, Millennium Management LLC
2024: Maize And Blue Stock Pitch Competition: Nurturing The Next Generation of Finance Leaders
2024: Maize And Blue Stock Pitch Competition: Showcasing Student Talents In The World of Finance
Applicants must submit a 1 to 3 page summary of their stock pitch (PDF) alongside their financial model (Excel), their resume (PDF) and their transcript (PDF) for the first round to umich-mbef@umich.edu.
Companies should meet the following criteria:
- The pitched stock should be a U.S. publicly traded company with a market capitalization of at least $100M.
- Long or short positions are eligible.
- The stock must have at least $2 million of daily volume (over a minimum of the 3-month period immediately preceding the competition).
- ADRs, ETFs, ETNs, Closed-end funds, or other exchange-traded securities, including derivatives and currencies, are not eligible.
The pitch should include:
- Company overview: name, stock ticker, market cap, and other basic financial information.
- Company description: how does the business operate on a fundamental level?
- Thesis: Why is the stock is undervalued or overvalued, and what are catalysts that support a correction?
- Financial analysis: high-level financial forecast for the next 3-5 years and appropriate price target.
Timeline:
- Friday, January 24th: Submission deadline.
- Saturday, January 25th: Final eight candidates will be selected by Professor Nezafat.
- Sunday, January 26th - Wednesday, February 5th: Finalists will work with assigned mentors to refine and polish their pitches.
- Wednesday, February 5th: Deadline for final pitch submissions, which will be distributed to the judges for review.
- Thursday, February 6th: Networking dinner at the Chop House.
- Friday, February 7th: Pitch Competition at Tozzi Trading Center.
First Place: Jay Namdhari, short HIMS
Second Place: Dylan Crasto, short GTX
Third Place: Jack Gibbs, long BUR
Fourth Place: Valarie Sherr, long ADEA | Adam Cox, short WSM
