HVCC Investment Club Students Earn First Place in Stock Pitch Competition at Siena University
May 8, 2026
Five Hudson Valley Community College students in the college’s Investment Club competed as a team and earned first place in an inaugural Stock Pitch Competition on April 18 at Siena University in Loudonville. They were invited to compete by Hudson Valley alum and current Siena University student Micah Sherin.
Sameer Abbaszadeh, Fallon Greenway, Renato Guida, Jarrett Haggerty and Jack Utter faced teams from Siena University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Skidmore College, Bentley University and SUNY Delhi, making them the only community college-based team to compete in the competition.
The students’ winning presentation focused on Shift4, a financial technology company with a market capitalization between $500 million and $10 billion – and they delivered a compelling case that the stock had more than 50% upside potential.
The competition was judged by representatives from major global companies, including Goldman Sachs and General Electric, who were impressed by the HVCC team’s conviction, public speaking skills and analysis of changes in corporate structure.
“I think we won because of our team chemistry, hours of preparation and rehearsal, and our ability to build a strong narrative and extrapolate beyond the numbers,” said Jack Utter.
“Our information was sourced solely from public documents,” he added. “We don’t have access to Capital IQ or FactSet, subscription-based databases that some of the other larger institutions have, so all of our data was gathered from public information.”
As a result of winning first place, they received an honorary plaque and a $1,500 award to share.
“This opportunity would not have been possible without the support of HVCC’s alumni, faculty and advisors. It truly shows what the college has to offer,” said Renato Guida. “Many of us started with little knowledge of investing, and now, by the time we graduate, we feel prepared to compete against four-year schools.”
Hudson Valley’s Investment Club strives to improve financial literacy and practical knowledge of markets, investments, risk abatement and other decision-making strategies by managing real funds in the stock market, hosting experienced speakers and offering leadership opportunities. The club is sponsored by the Hudson Valley Community College Foundation.
Investment Club meetings are held every Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Administration Building, room 107, and all students are welcome to attend.