Four MSF students place at multiple pitch competitions

MSF students Azat Agishev (MSF ‘23), Zach Godkin (MSF ‘24), Alejandro Salinas (MSF ‘23) and Arina Shalobodova (MSF ‘24) recently placed second at the USC Stock Pitch Competition and first place at the Isenberg Stock Pitch Competition.

The USC Stock Pitch Competition is the first of its kind to be hosted on the West Coast. The purpose of the competition is to offer a platform for students to showcase their talents in value investing and to network with like-minded individuals and industry professionals.

“The team spent over a semester preparing to participate in the stock pitch competitions,” Shalobodova explained. “We spent a significant amount of time reading through primary source documents to understand HCCI, the waste management company we were pitching. These documents included financial reports released by the firm, documents on waste management compiled by states and many others.”

The USC conference was the final round of a stock pitch competition that began in early February. To participate, approximately 25 teams submitted two-page investment theses summarizing a risk profile, industry analysis and a valuation of a company of their choosing with a market capitalization of at least $100 million.

The annual Isenberg Stock Pitch Competition is held each spring, typically in April with the help of UMass Faculty, The Minutemen Fixed Income Fund, Smart Women Securities, and The Minutemen Equity Fund. With a minimum $500 million market cap, teams of two to four students compete for cash prizes delivered to first, second and third place.

“It feels awesome to have had an opportunity to present our investment idea in front of industry professionals and students from other schools,” said Shalobodova. “Placing in the top three teams for the two stock pitch competitions helps validate that our research and presentation were convincing – they received interest or some approval from the investors who judge these competitions.”