UF MSF students place 3rd at ENGAGE conference

Four students from the William R. Hough Master of Science in Finance program recently attended the Engage Undergraduate Investment Conference and competed in the stock pitch competition. The students, James Donnelly (MSF ‘24), Veer Raxwal (MSF ‘24), Blake McCoy (MSF ‘24) and Grant Stanish (MSF ‘23), finished 3rd and each enjoyed the opportunity to directly apply the academics from the MSF program to the real-world.

The team spent the past year preparing for the competition. “Leveraging the expertise of UF alums such as James Goyer and Nick Appelo (among many others), we refined our investment process and approach, allowing us to learn what it means to assemble a presentation that can compete at (and win) national competitions” said Stanish. “We were lucky enough to use this guidance to win contests at UGA and UVA and place in the finals at ENGAGE UIC last year. That experience proved vital to us this year, as we largely understood what it took to stand out: simple points about what the market is missing about the business and its value.”

The event, held at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, is the largest undergraduate stock pitch competition in North America. The MSF students pitched Warner Bros Discovery and qualified to attend the event. 

When asked about the experience of pitching to Warner Bros. Discovery, Raxwal explained, “Warner Bros. Discovery is well positioned to succeed even in a challenging macro environment due to its unmatched and scarce asset base steered by a strong management team. We believe value-oriented shareholders would be greatly rewarded as its long-term value becomes more evident.”

After the first round, the team was selected to move on and present their pitch in front of the entire conference and a judges panel of experienced professionals including the director of Point72 Academy, Jamie Goodfriend.