Assets Under Management
Responsible for managing over $700,000 on behalf of the University of Michigan’s endowment
Action-Based Learning
Our platform allows MBA and BBA students to apply the concepts of asset valuation, equity research and portfolio management in the real world
Pathway to Wall Street
Our alumni remain actively engaged with the Fund, connecting members with successful financial service professionals
Our Process
Fund membership is highly selective, enabling members to work with other talented and highly-motivated students in an environment similar to an investment firm.
Upon admission into the Fund, new members will partake in a series of training sessions on key concepts in equity research, financial modeling and valuation, and portfolio management. Fund members will become fluent in technical tools such as FactSet and Bloomberg.
The Fund is organized in to 3-4 person pitch teams led by a Senior Analyst. These teams will be responsible for sourcing and pitching equity investment opportunities and monitoring ongoing investments.
Investment Style
The Fund focuses its efforts on identifying undervalued US equity securities for long-term investment by leveraging industry research, financial statement analysis and valuation analyses, including discounted cash flow modeling, comparable companies and precedent transactions. The Fund uses the S&P MidCap 400 Index as a performance benchmark, giving the Fund an inherent bias towards investment in public companies with a market capitalization between $2 and $10 billion.
Faculty Advisors
Robert Dittmar
Associate Finance Professor
Robert Dittmar is a Finance Professor at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. His research centers on empirical and theoretical topics in the pricing of fixed income and equity securities. His research has been published in the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies, and Journal of Econometrics. His past experience includes a position as Assistant Professor at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University and work as a financial analyst at First Chicago (now JP Morgan Chase) and First Union (since acquired by Wachovia and Wells Fargo).
Pedram Nezafat
LEO Lecturer
Pedram Nezafat is a Finance lecturer at the Ross School of Business. He received his PhD in Electrical Engineering and his PhD in Finance from the University of Minnesota. His areas of expertise are empirical and theoretical asset pricing. He has presented at annual meetings of the American Finance Association, the Western Finance Association, and the European Finance Association. His research has been published in the Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Economic Theory, and Journal of Corporate Finance. He teaches both undergraduate and MBA courses at University of Michigan and has been awarded several teaching awards.
Kai Petainen
Adjunct Finance Lecturer, Trading Floor Manager
Kai Petainen is the Tozzi Trading Floor manager and an adjunct finance lecturer at the Ross School of Business. He teaches Finance 334, “Applied Quant/Value Portfolio Management”, a class that uses ‘action-based learning’, to evaluate stocks and funds from a quant/value perspective. Petainen is featured in Matthew Schifrin’s book, “The Warren Buffetts Next Door: The World’s Greatest Investors You’ve Never Heard Of and What You Can Learn From Them”. He’s also a contributing blogger at Forbes. Petainen had articles in Forbes, MoneyShow.com, Welt Am Sonntag, the San Francisco Chronicle, Santa Cruz Sentinel, MSN Money, Financial Post, the Globe and Mail, and many others.
Murray Green
Co-President
Murray is a senior studying finance, accounting and strategy at the University of Michigan with a minor in history. Last summer, Murray interned as an Equity Research Analyst at Jefferies Financial Group in New York City. Over previous summers, he interned in Private Equity at the Northwind Group and in Investment Management at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In his spare time, Murray enjoys coding, listening to podcasts, running, watching football and playing chess. Please reach out to Murray at murgreen@umich.edu with any questions you may have about the Maize & Blue Endowment Fund.
Mustafa Tambawalla
Co-President
Mustafa is a senior studying finance at the University of Michigan. Last summer, Mustafa interned as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst at M. Klein & Company in New York City. After his sophomore year, Mustafa interned as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst with Donnelly Penman & Partners in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. When outside of the classroom or office, Mustafa enjoys reading, throwing a frisbee, and walking with friends. Please reach out to Mustafa at mktamba@umich.edu with any questions you may have about the Maize & Blue Endowment Fund.
Nathan Goldfarb
CIO
Nathan Goldfarb is a senior at the University of Michigan studying Finance. This past summer he was a summer investment banking and growth equity analyst at the Raine Group. During his free time, he enjoys reading, enjoys watching basketball and football, and loves going on walks with his dog. Please reach out to Nathan at natgol@umich.edu with any questions you may have about the Maize & Blue Endowment Fund.