Students interested in the investment industry had an opportunity to explore career paths, test their analytical abilities and build professional relationships at Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics 2026 Titan Capital Management Student Investment Conference.

Hosted by Titan Capital Management (TCM), the Oct. 23 gathering at the Titan Student Union brought together students and investment professionals from across Southern California for a day focused on financial markets, portfolio strategy and career preparation.

Open to high schoolers as well as undergraduate and graduate students, the gathering welcomed participants at different stages of their education.

Earning first place in the Fund Pitch Competition was a team of CSUF Business Titans comprised of Cindy Montenegro-Cerda ’28 (finance), Daniel Castellanos ’27 (economics and finance), and Hillary Cruz ’27 (finance), who presented an investment strategy designed to balance capital preservation, income, growth and risk management in an evolving economic landscape. The winning team had the support of Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), one of the many engaged student clubs in the college.

Panels featuring local practitioners addressed the application of AI in finance, fixed income investing, starting a business in finance, and ETFs and mutual funds. These conversations gave participants a chance to examine different specialties and consider how the concepts they study apply to professional decisions.

Students met industry representatives, including Titan alumni and partners of the university and TCM program, to learn about career options and hear perspectives from people working in finance.

A major feature of the annual conference is its team-based investment competitions, which challenge participants to communicate financial recommendations clearly and support their conclusions with research.

Stock and Fund Pitch Competitions Enable Students to Explore the Full Investment Landscape and Prove Analytical Skills

In the stock pitch competition, each team evaluates a preassigned company and presents a recommendation to buy or sell its shares. The exercise is designed to demonstrate financial analysis and presentation skills. Participants must organize their findings, make a case for their position and explain the reasoning behind their investment recommendation.

The fund pitch competition took a different approach. Teams selected four ETFs, one each from PIMCO, ARK Investment Management, Capital Group and Fidelity, and allocated a hypothetical $10 million among them to construct a portfolio. The challenge is intended to highlight participants’ understanding of investment products and portfolio management, as well as their ability to make informed selections within defined parameters.

Kelly Ko highlighted the value of bringing students and practitioners together:

“The TCM student investment conference is a great opportunity for CSUF and other Southern California students to connect and learn from practitioners in the investment industry, including many Titan alumni and partners of the CSUF and the TCM program,” he says. “The event also provides the students valuable networking opportunities, career guidance and the ability to participate in competitions to display and improve their skills.”

The conference reflects TCM’s broader emphasis on applying classroom learning to investment analysis and portfolio management. By combining industry discussions, competitive challenges and networking, the Student Investment Conference creates avenues for aspiring finance professionals to strengthen their skills and gain a clearer understanding of the opportunities ahead.

For More on Titan Capital Management

Learn more about the student-run applied investment portfolio Titan Capital Management by reading our articles.