Shad Rowe Stock Pitch Competition

November 14th · Rowling Hall, The University of Texas at Austin

Founding Sponsor: The Shad Rowe Foundation | Organized by the AIM Investment Center and Texas Energy Capital*

*Texas Energy Capital is a student run investment organization

Overview

A one-day, two-round equity pitch tournament. Student teams present a single investment recommendation to judges drawn from the asset management industry, evaluated on research quality, variant view, valuation discipline, and the ability to defend the idea under professional questioning.

The competition is structured to reach students early. Every presenting team must field at least two students in Group 1 (defined below), putting judges and their firms in front of candidates years before hiring decisions are made. For McCombs Master of Science students on a compressed recruiting timeline, the competition doubles as a placement event.

Who Can Participate

Open to any three to four currently enrolled McCombs students, undergraduate, MBA, Master of Science, or Master in Professional Accounting. Teams may be drawn from one program or mixed across programs. No student organization affiliation is required. A student may compete on only one team.

At least two presenting students must be in Group 1.

Group 1

Undergraduate
1st or 2nd year
Integrated MPA, completing May 2029 or later
First-year MBA, MSF or MSBA, graduating December 2026–May 2027

Group 2 students may register, prepare, present, and be scored, they just don't count toward the two-Group-1-presenter minimum.

Team Composition

Teams consist of three students, with an optional fourth. A team may register with three and name a fourth as an alternate by October 30 (resume due within three business days). All named members must contribute to preparation. Presenting lineups may change between rounds, but the Group 1 requirement applies in both.

Registration & Selection

Register by October 1, 2026: roster, program/class year/expected graduation for each member, point of contact, and a one-page resume for each named member.

Submit by October 16, 2026: the security or pair trade, a de-identified 3-page investment memorandum, and a de-identified presentation deck (PPT and PDF), no team or member names, no logos. These two documents are the basis for selection.

Submissions are reviewed blind by Texas Energy Capital, then by the coordinating faculty instructors, who set the final field of 16 teams plus 4 ranked alternates. Field announced October 30. Written confirmation due November 2. Updated materials due November 6.

Competition Format

Sixteen teams, four Round One rooms of four, one team advances per room. The four advancing teams compete in the Final Round for champion and runner-up. Each round is a twelve-minute presentation followed by seven minutes of judge Q&A. Round One is presented to judges only; eliminated teams may observe the Final Round and receive a ten-minute feedback session with their Round One panel.

Judging Rubric

Investment thesis and analysis — 40 points
Oral delivery and team dynamics — 25 points
Investment presentation — 20 points
Final impression — 15 points

This is some text inside of a div block.

Prizes

$5,000 total prize pool, funded by the founding sponsors. Champion: $3,000 · Runner-up: $1,500 · Best written investment thesis: $500

Key Dates

This is some text inside of a div block.

Registration

Oct 1

Selection Materials

Oct 16

Field Announced

Oct 30

Confirmation

Nov 2

Registration

Oct 1

Final Materials

Nov 6

Competition Day

Nov 14