University of Maine SPIFFY Earns Third Place at 2026 Quinnipiac GAME Forum in New York City

In March, 18 members of the University of Maine’s Maine Business School’s Student Portfolio Investment Fund (SPIFFY) and faculty advisor Dr. Sebastian Lobe traveled to New York City to compete in Quinnipiac University’s Global Asset Management Education (GAME) Forum XV—one of the largest student-run finance conferences in the world.

This annual event is the largest student-run financial conference in the world, with over 135 universities and 1,200 students competing in the Global Portfolio Competition. This year, the UMaine SPIFFY team—a student-managed investment fund that oversees $6.2 million in assets for the University of Maine Foundation—placed third in the Undergraduate Core Portfolio. With over 135 universities and 1,200 students competing in the Global Portfolio Competition, this UMaine win was a significant accomplishment.

“Given their dedication, I am incredibly proud—but not entirely surprised—that SPIFFY has secured this award,” said Dr. Lobe, who has been advising the club since 2016. “These students do not get paid, nor do they earn educational credits for this. They are intrinsically motivated by a desire to master real-world finance, and these metrics prove that their hard work pays off. The credit for these achievements goes to the outstanding SPIFFY teams of the last two academic years. It is also a direct testament to the ongoing support of the University of Maine Foundation, SPIFFY’s founder Dr. Bob Strong, the MBS staff, and Executive Dean Jason Harkins.”

Professional Development at a Leading Student Finance Conference

This year, the Quinnipiac GAME Forum featured over 100 professionals from industry-leading financial services companies. These professionals spoke on panels, led breakout sessions, and served as judges for the student-managed portfolio competition, giving students direct exposure to careers in investment management, financial services, and asset management.

The forum began with keynote speakers Lindsay Hans, president and co-head of Merrill Wealth Management, and Zach Buchwald, CEO of Russell Investments. They set the stage for additional speakers to continue the conversation on financial markets, asset allocation decision-making, portfolio investment, risk management strategy, and more. At the end of all sessions, students were given time to ask questions to the renowned panelists.

“I found it interesting to learn how the keynote speaker prompted AI to get exactly what he wants using the PICO (persona, input, context, output) method and what a difference good prompting makes,” says Ronny Roberge, SPIFFY Sector Head for Information Technology. “I think many people underestimate the versatility of AI tools.”

Molly Graham, SPIFFY Director of Marketing, enjoyed the networking with peers from other schools as well as the professionals and recruiters. “A lot of the sessions offered were about what’s really happening in the global markets today,” she says. “Many of the professionals were honest about how their jobs are affected by uncertainty, and that was really interesting to hear about.”

Student Investment Competition

Menelik Mekonen, SPIFFY Director of Performance, and Molly Graham led the Global Portfolio Competition and Poster Session respectively on day two of the conference.

All schools participating in the competitions sent two students to set up their posters in a large conference room. From noon to 2 pm, students, professors, and professionals were free to wander the room to check out the presentations from each team. “It felt like open office hours,” Graham says. At 2 pm, the doors closed to outside viewers, and the judges moved from table to table. Teams had 60 seconds to pitch their investment portfolio strategies to judges before the room reopened to the public at 4 pm.

“We’re a young team,” Graham says. “No one expected us to win anything, so to come in third place was incredible. I felt so proud!”

Building Connections in the Financial Capital of the World

Beyond the forum was a whole city to explore. Students were able to visit Wall Street, experience Times Square, and become familiar with the financial capital of the world. They were given the freedom to try local restaurants, walk through Central Park, and visit the World Trade Center Memorial, among other things.

“I definitely think we got closer as a group,” says Steve Corrigan, SPIFFY Sector Head for Real Estate. “Before the trip, I knew most of the other sector heads, but more at an acquaintance level. Spending so much time together, grabbing food, navigating the city, and just hanging out helped turn those relationships into something more genuine.”

Molly Graham agrees. “SPIFFY students have different majors and classes,” she says. “We all see each other once a week at our meetings, but we may not run into each other outside of that.” Turning a working relationship into something deeper made the trip more meaningful to her.

“SPIFFY works best when there is real trust and communication,” Corrigan says. “After this trip, it felt like we were no longer just a group managing separate sectors, but a team that understood each other better on both a professional and personal level.”

Experiences like the Quinnipiac GAME Forum highlight how University of Maine business students gain hands-on experience in investment management, build industry connections, and prepare for careers in finance.

Story by Sydney Lavigne