The Annual Research Challenge

About The Annual Research Challenge

Our Research Challenge event brings college students from all over the state to compete against each other on a case study where they argue their case for a fair valuation for a chosen company. This event serves as a fun networking environment where we serve appetizers and beverages. We typically have 20-30 competitors with total attendance between 50-100 attendees.

Our 2023 event featured a double header in the beautifully renovated offices of Barnes & Thornburg. The daytime event highlighted the future of our industry with the annual Research Challenge, where 6 local college teams provided Buy/Sell recommendations on Elanco. The Butler University team of Nathan Aardsma, Elizabeth Reed and Noah Barr won this competition, and were able to advance all the way to the American Semifinals. The CFA Society Indianapolis is absolutely thrilled with the effort all student teams put forth and are incredibly thankful for the judges, industry mentors, faculty mentors and volunteers for making this event a tremendous success.

The nightcap featured two outstanding panels discussing one of the biggest stories in the RIA space, alternative investments and how to incorporate investments typical dominated by institutional investors. The first panel featured Jason Brown, founder and CEO of Proteus Capital and David Hooper of Barnes & Thornburg, as they discussed the legal and operational complexities of investing in alternatives and private markets. The second panel, moderated by Ted Argus, feature Eric Knauss, CIO of Proteus, Erin Sikorski, Managing Director of Mitar Capital and Mac Schilling, President of TwoPointO Investor Relations. This group talked about the different alternative asset classes, portfolio construction and current market opportunities. We are grateful for Proteus Capital for sponsoring the event and Barnes & Thornburg for hosting.

Contact executivedirector@cfasocietyindy.com for 2024 sponsorship opportunities.