Tobin College of Business Hosts Inaugural Private Equity Pitch Competition, Welcoming Top Business Schools to Manhattan
March 2, 2026
The Peter J. Tobin College of Business at St. John’s University recently convened undergraduate business students from across the country for its inaugural Private Equity Pitch Competition on February 21, 2026, transforming the University’s Manhattan campus into a dynamic forum for investment strategy, financial modeling, and industry dialogue.
Designed to mirror the rigor of real private-equity deal teams, the competition challenged students to develop and defend an investment thesis along with exit strategy before a panel of leading practitioners. The event drew approximately 90 attendees, including student competitors, faculty advisors, alumni, and finance professionals, underscoring Tobin’s growing role as a hub for experiential finance education in New York City.
This inaugural competition was made possible through the generous support of Bob Adams ‘84CBA, ‘88MBA, Chief Operations Officer and Head of the Operations and Services Group at Fidelity Investments, whose leadership and commitment to experiential learning helps create meaningful opportunities for students. The College also extends its gratitude to sponsors ToltIQ and Brown Rudnick for their generous support of the competition.
St. John’s University earned a third-place finish at the competition. Pictured from left: Ezgi Yasar, Matteo Sylvestre, Vincent Luscher, Freddie Gonzalez, and faculty advisor Victor Flores.
A National Stage for Emerging Investment Talent
Seventeen universities competed in the initial round of the competition, representing a diverse mix of top business programs. After preliminary judging, four teams advanced to the final round:
University of California, Berkeley (Luca Cifolleli, Colin Cragin, Eric Li)
University of Delaware (Daniel Ruiz Giraldo, Connor Scurti, Alex Treppiedi, Evan Youssefi)
University of Rochester (Aheri Basu, Nurdaulet Kaishib, Peter McCole, Elliot Raynor)
St. John’s University (Freddie Gonzalez, Vincent Luscher, Matteo Sylvestre, Ezgi Yasar)
Finalists presented comprehensive investment theses supported by detailed financial modeling, valuation analysis, and strategic insights, followed by live questioning from industry judges.
At the conclusion of the competition, the University of California, Berkeley earned First Place, followed by the University of Rochester in Second Place, and St. John’s University in Third Place.
A total of $10,000 in prize funding was awarded:
1st Place: $6,000
2nd Place: $3,000
3rd Place: $1,000
“The judges brought years of real-world experience that you simply can’t replicate in a classroom,” said Aheri Basu of the University of Rochester. “Their industry-level questions pushed us to think differently and defend our assumptions in ways that made the experience both challenging and incredibly meaningful.”
“Today was truly transformative in terms of learning, networking, and the exchange of ideas,” said Matteo Sylvestre of St. John’s University. “Being surrounded by creative and highly analytical peers, all working through complex investment challenges and developing thoughtful solutions, was the most rewarding part of the experience.”
Industry Leaders Provide Real-World Insight
Students presented before a distinguished panel of private-equity and finance leaders, whose feedback offered both technical rigor and professional perspective. The judging panel represented leading organizations across private equity, investment management, and advisory services, including Acharya Capital Partners, Arax Investment Partners, ToltIQ, Brown Rudnick, Integrum, KKR, and Kindle Energy, a Blackstone portfolio company.
The judging panel included:
David Acharya, Managing Partner, Acharya Capital Partners
Aditya (Dean) Ramanathan, Partner, Brown Rudnick =
Peter Sundheim, Managing Director, KKR
Sheron Tang, Manager, M&A and Asset Optimization at Kindle Energy, a Blackstone portfolio company
Faculty Leadership and Student Initiative Drive a New Tradition
The competition was organized by Jason Berkowitz, Associate Dean of Faculty and Professor of Finance at Tobin, whose vision was to create an experience that replicates the analytical expectations of modern private-equity firms.
“This competition was designed to push students beyond the classroom and into the mindset of investment professionals,” said Jason Berkowitz. “Private equity demands rigorous analysis, strategic thinking, and clear communication under pressure. By bringing together leading schools and industry practitioners, we created an environment where students could test their ideas against real-world expectations.”
The event also reflects the leadership of Tobin’s student community. Members of the St. John’s University’s Financial Management Association (FMA) student chapter played a key role in helping launch the initiative, reinforcing the College’s commitment to student-driven innovation.
“As a student organization focused on careers in finance, we wanted to build something that gave our peers real, meaningful exposure to the private equity industry,” said Kyle Francis, President of the Financial Management Association. “Having teams from across the country come to St. John’s and compete really showed us how powerful experiential learning can be when students and faculty work together. We hope to see this event become an annual tradition and grow into one of the premier private equity competitions for students nationwide.”
Experiential Learning at the Core of Tobin’s Mission
Hosted as part of Tobin’s expanding portfolio of experiential opportunities, the Private Equity Pitch Competition reflects the College’s emphasis on applied learning that connects academic theory with professional practice. Teams were tasked with conducting deep industry research, building sophisticated financial models, and articulating investment theses aligned with real market conditions.
As the inaugural event concludes, College leaders anticipate expanding the competition into a signature annual program, further positioning the Tobin College of Business as a national destination for experiential finance education. By connecting students directly with industry leaders and real-world investment challenges, the competition reflects Tobin’s continued commitment to preparing graduates for leadership in the global financial markets.
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