UK Investment Competition Grand Finale 2025: Celebrating Innovation, Talent & Leadership

The Grand Finale of the UK Investment Competition took place on Friday, 5 December 2025, in the City Centre of London; a venue rooted in the heart of the financial district and the perfect stage for an evening dedicated to excellence.

This wasn’t just another event. It was the flagship gathering that brought together the UK’s top-performing student investors, senior executives, industry leaders, and an expert jury of finance professionals. For one night, the standout performers from across the country were all in the same room, representing the sharpest minds of a competition that engaged over 1,800 students from 17 participating universities.

Each finalist took the stage to present and defend their portfolio strategy before a distinguished jury panel, showcasing analytical rigour, creativity, and real-world investment thinking. What unfolded was an unforgettable evening; an atmosphere unlike anything the UK educational finance community has seen.

Gallery: Arrival & Registration

[gallery shortcode="guests_arrival"]

A brief history of the UMushroom Investing Competitions 

When Tonia Zimmermann and Luba Schoenig founded UMushroom in 2020, they envisioned a world where every individual is seen, valued, and given a chance to shine. This belief became the foundation of our Investment Competitions—designed to make young talent visible to the financial industry and to reveal the people behind the CVs. What started as a dream has grown into a platform that empowers students, builds confidence, and connects emerging talent with real-world opportunities.

Tonia Zimmermann & Luba Schoenig Co-Founders of UMushroom 

The UMushroom Investment Competition finds its roots in Switzerland, where we launched and hosted the very first edition in 2021. What began as an initiative to engage Swiss university students in real-world investing quickly evolved into an annual benchmark for applied financial learning.

The first Investment Competition of this kind expanded to the UK in 2024, thanks to the support of Warwick Business School Society (WBSS). That first UK edition welcomed more than 400 students from 7 universities, marking the official launch of the competition in the UK landscape.

➡️  You can read more about it here.

In 2025, the competition reached a new milestone. With the support of MCD Education, the initiative scaled to a truly national level, bringing together a broader pool of aspiring investors. This year, more than 1,800 students from 17 universities took part in the challenge. From these, 15 finalist teams, each the winner of their internal university pitching rounds, earned the right to compete on the Grand Finale stage in London, presenting their strategies to a jury of leading finance professionals.

Our Partners, Sponsors & Jury: The Pillars Behind the Competition

None of this would have been possible without the exceptional partners, sponsors, and industry leaders who helped elevate the UK Investment Competition to a truly national platform. Their commitment brought expertise, credibility, real-world opportunity, and an unparalleled level of industry depth to this year’s challenge.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the organisations whose support made this journey remarkable:

🏆 LGT Wealth Management
🏆 Golborne Capital
🏆 Volcafe
🏆 Invesco

Thank you for believing in young talent and for helping us build a platform where students can experience real-world investing, gain meaningful exposure to the finance industry, and grow far beyond the classroom. Your involvement, ranging from industry insights to offering real internship opportunities, has transformed the competition into a transformative experience for many students.

Our Esteemed Jury

We were honoured to welcome a jury of highly respected industry professionals who dedicated their time, attention, and expertise to evaluating each team with care:

• David Kettle – Proprietary Trader at Volcafe
• Christoph Pfundstein – Founder of Golborne Capital
• Tom Jemmett – Head of Authorised Funds at LGT Wealth Management

Their thoughtful feedback, rigorous evaluation, and willingness to engage deeply with every finalist brought exceptional value to the competition. They offered students industry insights and perspectives they wouldn’t encounter anywhere else.

➡️ A full-featured article with detailed jury bios is available here.

Gallery: Jury 

[gallery shortcode="jury"]

Keynote Speakers

A special thank you goes to our distinguished keynote speakers, whose insights resonated powerfully with every participant:

• Ashley Oerth, Senior Investment Strategist, Invesco
  Ashley delivered a forward-looking perspective on global markets, offering a clear and structured framework for understanding asset allocation in the year ahead. Her analytical depth and data-driven approach equipped students with practical tools to evaluate macro trends and position portfolios for a changing economic landscape.
• Supriya Menon: Managing Director & Head of Multi-Asset Strategy EMEA, Wellington Management: Supriya shared a compelling and deeply personal keynote that blended career reflections with sharp market insights. She highlighted emerging opportunities, key risk factors shaping the current environment, and offered empowering advice for young people entering the investment world. Her openness and clarity left a lasting impact on everyone in the room.

Your thought leadership inspired students to think bigger, act smarter, and build confidently toward their future careers. Thank you for elevating the event with your expertise.

Gallery:  Keynote Speakers

[gallery shortcode="keynote_speakers"]

The Pitching Rounds & Celebrating the Finalist Teams

At the heart of the UK Investment Competition Grand Finale were the 15 exceptional finalist teams, the brightest young investment minds in the UK. 

These teams delivered high-level portfolio strategies, demonstrated sharp analytical thinking, and faced real-time questioning from the jury. Their composure, depth of research, and ability to defend their investment decisions showcased the outstanding quality of emerging talent within the UK finance ecosystem.

Representing universities and societies across the country, and one independent team, the finalists were:

• Amsterdam – HACSL Veterans
• Bath – Dalio Lama
• Exeter – Black Swan Capital
• Imperial – Platypus Partners
• King’s College London – HMC Capital
• Lancaster – Mirage Capital
• Loughborough – Rory Tomlinson
• London School of Economics (LSE) – Solo Yolo
• Manchester – LockedIn
• Nottingham – Robin Hood Capital
• Queen Mary University of London – Canonical
• SEO London – Rohan Joseph
• UCL – Blackshard
• Warwick – Sapiens
• Independent Team – HAD Capital

Every one of them delivered a stellar performance. They navigated tough questions from industry experts, communicated clearly under pressure, and demonstrated the exact blend of talent, ambition, and resilience that defines the competition.

Gallery:  Pitching Rounds

[gallery shortcode="pitchingh_rounds"]

🏆 Awards Ceremony & Winners

The Awards Ceremony marked the emotional high point of the evening, a showcase of brilliance, courage, and ambition that left the room inspired. These students did far more than simply participate; they demonstrated that the future of finance is bold, analytical, curious, and ready to lead.

After an intense evening of pitching, the jury selected the three standout teams whose performance, strategy, and clarity under pressure set them apart.

Congratulations to Our 2025 Winning Teams

• 🥇 1st Place – Platypus Partners (Imperial College London)
  • Members: Joaquim Silva and Adam Hrehovcik
  • Their sophisticated portfolio strategy, confident delivery, and sharp responses to jury questions earned them the top spot of the night.
• 🥈 2nd Place – Blackshard (University College London (UCL))
  • Members: Sushant Shyam, Sujay Aggarwal, Aran Grant
  • A deeply analytical and well-structured pitch that impressed with its clarity, conviction, and strong teamwork.
• 🥉 3rd Place – Sapiens (University of Warwick)
  • Members: David Labella, Manraj Singh, Tariq Howlader
  • An intelligent, data-driven approach paired with excellent communication secured this team a well-deserved place on the podium.

Your hard work, strategic thinking, and composure under pressure impressed both the jury and the entire audience. You earned this.

Gallery:  Award Ceremony 

[gallery shortcode="award_ceremony"]

Networking & Apéro

As the pitching rounds concluded and the awards were celebrated, the evening shifted into a vibrant Networking & Apéro session, a space where talent, opportunity, and ambition flowed freely. The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement, alive with conversation, and brimming with some of the most promising young minds in UK finance.

Finalists, supporters, student societies, industry partners, sponsors, recruiters, and friends of the competition all came together in a setting filled with energy and genuine connection. It was more than just networking; it was a celebration of growth, community, and possibility. Everywhere you turned, you could feel the spark of future careers being shaped and new collaborations being born.

Gallery:  Networking & Apéro

[gallery shortcode="networking"]

This unforgettable atmosphere was made possible thanks to the dedication and support of many who contributed to creating a memorable experience:

Special thanks to:

MCD Education – for their invaluable support throughout the competition and in helping to organise and execute such a fantastic event. Your contributions brought hospitality, flavour, and heart to the evening, creating a warm and inspiring environment where students and professionals could connect meaningfully.

Lastly, a special thanks to the event sponsors and supporters who made the event and competition even more special.

• MCD Capital, Perfect Ted, Carioca, Venchi
• Finimize & The Wall Street Skinny

Gallery:  Portraits

[gallery shortcode="portraits"]

🌟 Looking Ahead

Even as the Grand Finale came to a close, the energy, ambition, and creativity of this year’s participants are just getting started. Every student who took part is now part of our exclusive alumni network, a vibrant community where they can continue to grow their challenge portfolios, share insights, and stay connected with peers and industry leaders.

We had an absolute blast celebrating talent, innovation, and bold ideas at this year’s finale, and 2026 promises to be even bigger and brighter! Keep your eyes on our Instagram and socials so you don’t miss announcements, behind-the-scenes stories, and upcoming opportunities.

Alumni can also relive the excitement with video highlights of the pitching sessions and interviews, all available on the alumni group page. Watch the strategies unfold, celebrate the brilliant ideas, and get inspired for the year ahead.

Here’s to the next edition, more ambitious, more daring, and full of fresh talent ready to shine on the big stage.

The future of investing starts here, and we can’t wait to see it unfold! A huge thank you to everyone, participants, partners, sponsors, jury, and supporters, for making this year’s Grand Finale unforgettable.

See you in 2026!

Your Team UMushroom