Perse pupils reach global finals at Wharton Investment Competition

A team of Sixth Form pupils from The Perse School recently travelled to Philadelphia to compete in the finals of the Wharton High School Investment Competition.

Representing the school as Perse Capital Group, the pupils competed against top young investors from across the world, gaining valuable experience in finance, investing, teamwork and public speaking on an international stage.

The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is a global experiential investment challenge organised by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The competition challenges students to develop an investment strategy and build a portfolio for a potential client over a 10 week period, before presenting and defending their strategy to expert judges. It provides students with practical experience in the key principles of investing, from building and defending strategies to conducting company and industry analyses and managing risk in real-world scenarios.

This year, more than 2,300 teams from 79 countries entered the competition, with The Perse Capital Group being among the select few invited to the global finals in Philadelphia. The team, made of Year 13 team captain Richard and Year 12 pupils Thomas, Aryan, Guoguo, Anirudh and Jonathan, earned their place in the finals through a strong investment proposal created for the prospective client, former NFL player Conor Barwin.

Their first day in Philadelphia was a dedicated ‘Learning Day’, where the team met the other finalists, explored the university campus and attended lectures by the Dean and Vice Dean of Wharton Business School. The Perse pupils quickly connected with the other students from around the world, and were chosen to manage the student takeover of Wharton Youth Programme’s social media coverage.

In the final round, the team delivered a confident and professional presentation under pressure, responding thoughtfully to judges’ questions and demonstrating strong financial understanding and teamwork throughout. They competed against other accomplished investment teams from US, Brazil and India, including former finalists and this year’s winner Stuyvesant High School from New York.

Alongside the competition, the pupils also had the opportunity to explore Philadelphia, visiting landmarks such as the Liberty Bell and attending the renowned Penn Relays, while also sampling the city’s famous Philly cheesesteaks.

Katharina Sennitt, Economics Teacher at The Perse said: “The team performed exceptionally well in a very competitive field. Reaching the finals is a significant achievement, and they should be proud of how they represented the school. The experience of presenting at Wharton and engaging with students from around the world will stay with them for years to come.”