Students gather each week for the Bentley Investment Group pitch meeting to listen to investment recommendations by student members.
Five Reasons to Join the Bentley Investment Group
In any week up to 400 students show up for Bentley Investment Group (BIG) pitch meetings. One of the largest student organizations on campus, the group is responsible for managing a portion of the university’s endowment. The fund they manage originated in 1997 and has grown to more than *$1.5 million.
“I’ve heard from a lot of first-year students that the Bentley Investment Group is a big reason they chose to attend Bentley,” says Max Provencher ’25, vice president of operations and a technology sector portfolio manager for the group.
Provencher, who is majoring in Finance and minoring in Politics and History, says these are some of the top reasons why the Bentley Investment Group is a student favorite.
- Mentorship. The group has hundreds of alumni and 1,600 student members. That includes a large number of juniors and seniors who mentor first- and second-year students, as well as alumni who mentor members including the 60 BIG analysts who pitch stocks each week. Networking happens in person and online — informally through LinkedIn or during smaller sector breakout meetings, for example — and can lead to internship and full-time job opportunities.
- Education. New members can participate in a free, three-hour boot camp to learn how to start valuing companies. Another workshop teaches members about discounted cash flow analysis. For members who go on to become the analysts who pitch the stocks each week for general members to vote on, a three-week training program covers important valuation methodologies including comparable company analysis, probability-weighted price targeting and discounted cash flow analysis. Bonus: The programs boost students’ understanding of theories covered in their academic courses.
- Leadership development. Members can interview to become an analyst who will lead the pitch process. Successful analysts can get promoted to portfolio manager. Members can also run for an executive-board position.
- Public speaking. Weekly pitch meetings include 25 minutes of pitching followed by 15 minutes of questions and answers. Answering hard questions about valuation, for example, can boost your confidence and enhance your public speaking skills.
- Community. Though BIG members love talking numbers — and even meet in breakout groups to talk about specific sectors or hang out in the Bentley Trading Room — it’s not just about investing and portfolio management. Members build relationships by meeting for dinner, a movie night or intramural football games. They also stay connected through LinkedIn and group chats with BIG alumni. The result: professional and personal relationships that matter.