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Gain Hands-on Portfolio Management Skills

The Babson College Fund (BCF) is an accredited, experiential learning course in which a select group of undergraduate and graduate students manages $8 million of the Babson College endowment. Designed for highly motivated students with a strong interest in finance and investments, the program requires a two‑semester commitment and offers a rigorous, real‑world immersion in equity research and portfolio management. Through this hands‑on experience, students build the analytical, decision‑making, and professional skills that are highly valued across the investment industry.

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Babson’s student‑managed fund operates an $8 million long/short equity portfolio, giving members hands‑on experience in fundamental research and portfolio management under the guidance of a diverse group of industry professionals. Students are organized into sector teams, where they develop specialized industry expertise, generate investment ideas, and actively contribute to the fund’s performance—applying classroom concepts to real‑world decision‑making in a professional, high‑stakes environment.

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Students commit to a minimum of two semesters—ideally a full year—to ensure continuity in managing the fund. Recruitment takes place during the fall, spring, and summer, and student managers are selected through a competitive process led by the faculty director, executives‑in‑residence, and experienced members of the program.

BCF finance lab

The Babson College Fund aims to outperform the S&P 500 Index through disciplined, research‑driven investing. Student managers conduct rigorous fundamental and quantitative analysis to identify stocks trading below intrinsic value and construct a diversified portfolio designed to generate superior long‑term returns. They continuously monitor performance and risk exposures, managing tracking error within defined parameters and allocating risk to the active positions with the highest expected contribution to alpha.

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What Students Will Learn

  • Equity research
  • Financial modeling
  • Portfolio construction
  • Investment decision-making
  • Presentation skills
  • Collaboration with industry professionals
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Performance and Stock Analysis Reports

2025 Calendar Year Performance:

Babson College Fund Portfolio: 18.41%
S&P 500 Index: 17.83%

Top 3 Contributors to Relative Performance:

  • Taiwan Semiconductor (total return: 55%; relative contribution: +184 bps)
  • Alphabet Inc. Class C (total return 65%; relative contribution +114 bps)
  • ePlus (total return 23%; relative contribution +76 bps) 

2024 Calendar Year Performance:

Babson College Fund Portfolio: 25.51%
S&P 500 Index: 25.03%

Top 3 Contributors to Relative Performance:

2023 Calendar Year Performance:

Babson College Fund Portfolio: 32.38%

S&P 500 Index: 26.29%

Top 3 Contributors to Relative Performance:

  • Tenet Healthcare (total return: 69.1%; relative contribution: +69 bps)
  • PAGS (total return: 35.2%; relative contribution: +64 bps)
  • CrowdStrike (total return: 54.5%; relative contribution: +63 bps)

2022 Calendar Year Performance:

Babson College Fund Portfolio: -23.3%

S&P 500 Index: -18.1%

Top 3 Contributors to Relative Performance:

2021 Performance:

Babson College Fund Portfolio: 27.2%

S&P 500 Index: 28.7%

Top 3 Contributors to Relative Performance:

2020 Performance:

Babson College Fund Portfolio: 28%

S&P 500 Index: 18%

Top 3 Contributors to Relative Performance:

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Meet the Cohort

Babson College Fund managers are highly motivated students with a strong interest in investments and a commitment to the time and rigor the program demands. Their experience is enriched by dedicated faculty advisors and Executives in Residence—industry professionals who generously volunteer their expertise and mentorship to support students’ development as emerging investment analysts and portfolio managers.

Spring 2026

Co-Executive Portfolio Managers

Aryan Goyanka
Ian Cass 

Consumer Staples Team

Derren Chen
Olivia Bryan 

Consumer Discretionary Team

Elena Keitt
Nihaar Kulshreshtha

Financials Team

James Nguyen
Mallika Agarwal 
Christopher Drummond 

Healthcare Team

Tancrede Roy
Clara Gross 
Isabella Wellington

Energy Team

Darshan Prasad
Dylan Rosen
Carlos Ricardo Moncayo

Information Technology Team

Sachiel Varada
Zach Breitbard
Wanrong (Sloane) Zhu

Communications Services Team

Ayushman Rai 

Industrials Team

Samuel Arosti
Ananya Sharma
Kusum Sapkota 

Pratima Abichandani

Retired Mutual Fund Manager

Pratima is a retired fund manager with experience at Fidelity Investments as Director of Research and member of an equity team managing assets of high net-worth families and charitable entities.

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Aditya Agarwal ‘22

Private Equity Associate, NexPhase Capital

Aditya is a former Consumer analyst for the Babson College Fund. He has experience in private equity as a buyout investor for software and services, healthcare, and consumer businesses. Prior to NexPhase Capital he worked at HabourVest focused on evaluating and modeling investment opportunities across a variety of industries as part of the Direct Investment team.

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Matthew Apkarian MBA'20, CFA 

Investment Manager, Strategic Advisors, Fidelity Investments

Matt is a former Executive Portfolio Manager of the Babson College Fund. His professional career has been spent in several roles at Fidelity Investments and Cerulli Associates, with experience in investment data, investment product development, and asset allocation.

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John Bailer '92, CFA 

Deputy Head of Equity Income, Portfolio Manager, Newton Investment Management Group 

John has over 30 years’ experience in portfolio management. He is currently the lead portfolio manager for U.S. dividend-oriented and large cap equity strategies. In addition, John functions as a senior research analyst on the Dynamic Large Cap Value strategy. He’s also responsible for creating the Income Stock strategy to meet demand from clients seeking attractively valued higher dividend income while not sacrificing dividend growth. 

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Lucas Brown '07, MSF '22

Entrepreneur & Investor

Lucas is a former Quant analyst for the Babson College Fund. Lucas founded Geeks in the Woods and its startup venture studio with his twin brother. He focuses on understanding the patterns and key components of building SaaS companies that achieve both rapid growth and sustainability.

BCF EiR

Edward Ciancarelli '00, CFA

Principal & Senior Portfolio Manager, The Colony Group

Edward has over twenty years of experience in equity research and portfolio management. He currently manages The Colony Group’s Small Cap, International Developed, and Emerging Market strategies. In his prior role at Eaton Vance, he conducted fundamental research on European and Japanese equities across all sectors with a focus on financials and technology.

BCF EiR

Richard Grasfeder MBA'05, CFA

Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Strategist, First Citizens Bank

Richard is responsible for economic analysis, asset allocation analysis, portfolio management and strategy, and individual equity analysis. His prior equity research experience includes sell-side research within the technology sector, and buy-side research covering technology, energy, industrials, materials, and utilities, and managing a technology sector fund.

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Patrick Gregory, CFA

Managing Director, Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance, Faculty Director, Babson College Fund Director, Professor

Patrick Gregory, CFA is the Managing Director of the Stephen D. Cutler Center for Investments and Finance, the Director of the Babson College Fund, and a Senior Lecturer in the Finance Division at Babson College. Before joining the faculty, Patrick was an institutional portfolio manager at FM Global from 2007-2015, where he managed the Healthcare, Internet, and Telecom sectors of a $6 billion equity portfolio. He was also responsible for the evaluation, selection, and ongoing evaluation of third-party investment managers. 

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John Hickling, CFA

Retired Hedge Fund Manager

John was a mutual fund manager at Fidelity Investments for many years, spending much of his career managing the firm’s international funds. He then launched an international long/short hedge fund that he later sold in 2007. 

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George Massey MBA’20, MSF’21

Managing Member, Ellisville Harbour Partners

George is a former Materials/Energy analyst for the Babson College Fund. While at Babson, George launched Ellisville Harbour Partners, a global, concentrated strategy investing in companies with emerging technologies in frontier markets.

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Edward Perkin

Former Chief Investment Officer, Morgan Stanley 

Edward is a former Chief Investment Officer at Morgan Stanley and prior to that with Goldman Sachs. He has over twenty-five years of industry experience across multiple asset classes with a focus on equities, managing portfolios for high-net-worth individuals, endowments, foundations, family offices, non-profit organizations and institutional investors. 

Peter Saperstone

Partner, Greycroft

Pete is currently a Partner at Greycroft, leading their crossover investment strategy. Prior to that, he spent 26 years at Fidelity Investments, most recently as the Managing Director for their late-stage private equity group. He also has extensive experience managing or co-managing Fidelity’s Contrafund, Balanced fund, Fifty fund, and Mid Cap fund and several sector-based funds.  
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James Spencer '73, CFA

Former SVP & Chief Investment Officer, Cambridge Trust Company

Jim has over 25 years of experience in investment management with expertise covering specialty chemicals. He is the former CIO of Cambridge Trust Company. Institutional Investor Magazine named Jim a member of its All-American Research Team for eight years. 

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Holland Ward MBA'98

Retired Hedge Fund Manager

Holland has extensive experience as a research analyst and portfolio manager for long/short equity funds, with expertise in technology, energy, and natural resource sectors. 

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Apply to the Babson College Fund

To apply, students must complete the application cover page and submit all required materials outlined below. A full application packet must be received by the stated deadline, which is firm and cannot be extended.

Eligible Students

  • A minimum commitment of two semesters is required. The new managers will serve from September 2026 to May 2027.
  • MBA and MSF students must have completed FIN7503 (Equities) or plan to take it concurrently during the first semester of their BCF year.
  • Undergraduate students must have completed FIN3520 (Security Valuation).

Program Overview

Watch Faculty Director Patrick Gregory's overview of the BCF program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Review our Frequently Asked Questions for clarity on the application process, and reach out to Leslie Romiza, Cutler Center Program Manager, with any additional questions about the program or applying.

Info Session

Join us for an overview of the Babson College Fund in this one-hour session, where students will learn more about the program and application process. This session is open to all Babson undergraduate and graduate students interested in applying for the program. 

Application Process

All materials are due by MIDNIGHT on Monday, June 29. Interviews will take place the week of July 20th.

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Financial support of the Babson College Fund is critical and allows us to provide students with a unique opportunity to learn, build valuable skills, and lead outside of the classroom from industry professionals. 

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