BAM Investing from Deerfield Academy, Massachusetts, Wins the 2025 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
The Wharton School’s legendary competitive spirit was popping with high school energy on Saturday, April 26, 2025.
While track-and-field athletes from across the country descended on the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field in Philadelphia for the annual Penn Relays, 64 future financiers from the U.S., India and Canada convened a few blocks away on the 8th floor of Jon M. Huntsman Hall for the 2025 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition Global Finale.
“More than 5,000 teams started the competition back in September, 1,800 did the hard work of submitting their final reports in December, then came the 50 semifinalists, and finally the top 10 teams who are in this room today,” said Eli Lesser, senior executive director of the Wharton Global Youth Program. “It’s amazing what you all have accomplished.”
The Teams at the Top
Throughout the morning, high school competitors flaunted 12 weeks of financial education and collaboration – rocking sentiment, SWOT and Pestel analyses, customized algorithms, AI innovations, portfolio optimizations, performance and readiness indices, and some clever house, tree and fashion metaphors.
Each team filled 10 minutes presenting its unique investment strategy pitch and portfolio analysis to a judging panel of four finance professionals, followed by five minutes of Q&A. Peers, parents, teachers, and the 2025 investment competition client, Ladi Ayoola (WG’22), cheered them on from the audience. Following lunchtime deliberations, the top teams were revealed:
The winners of the 2024-2025 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition are:
🏆 1st Place: BAM Investing, Deerfield Academy, Massachusetts, U.S
🏆 2nd Place: Finance from France, Lycée Français de Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
🏆 3rd Place: FA Quakers, Friends Academy, New York, U.S.
Ladi was a true celebrity among these competitors, eliciting gasps from the crowd as he first entered the room. Teams had spent weeks studying his client profile and creating investment strategies (and colorful slides!) to embrace his values and financial goals; he was the driving force behind their competition learning journey.
The Global Finale brought all that work into focus. “It was very evident that you put so much work into the research, analysis and presentations,” Ladi told the students. “But beyond that was the human part. You were very impact-minded. For me, that’s precious…Thank you for making the investment plans and proposals not just about the numbers, but about understanding and connecting with people.”
Reasoning and Defense
The day’s judges were equally impressed. “In a prior role at Vanguard, my day-to-day was looking at client pitches,” noted Chirag Jain, U.S. credit research analyst at Aberdeen Standard Investments. “We met all kinds of managers with all kinds of investment philosophies and processes. What distinguished managers was clear thoughtfulness and reasoning behind all the decisions that they put together. I think you guys demonstrated that today.”
Muk Rao, a member of the Wharton Research Data Services team who has judged the competition for many years, praised the supportive teachers and parents and urged the students to see the power of defending their ideas. “No matter where you end up in this competition, I think the most important thing is to take away the experience. You’re a better communicator now… you’re better at advancing really complex arguments. That skill will benefit you for the rest of your life.”
Each member of BAM Investing’s winning team will receive a scholarship to a Wharton Global Youth online program. In addition, one team from Deerfield Academy will automatically advance to next year’s semifinals (as long as they submit all the deliverables) to defend the school’s crown. All finalist teams received trophies and certificates, as well as special plaques for the top three teams.
A Blend of Culture and Creativity
Registration for the 2025-2026 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition begins in June 2025. What will next year bring? As always, a robust financial learning opportunity for an ever-expanding global cohort of earnest young investors – who gain so much more than stock market skills.
The Wharton Global Youth team is doing some reimagining of our signature competition, so be sure to stay tuned for more information in our Global Youth newsletter and on the Wharton Global Youth Program website.
For a final investment competition reflection, let’s turn to Finance from France, this year’s second-place team of high school students from Lycée Français de Chicago, a French International School.
“Our team members are from countries spanning four different continents, with origins in Pakistan, Ethiopia, Algeria, Greece, France, the United Kingdom and the United States,” said Samuel, team leader. “We truly believe that it’s not about what each person does best, but it’s about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.” If you’re planning to compete? “Collaborate frequently, so you can iterate fast.”
Are you ready to strategize and invest with Wharton Global Youth? Let’s go!
Photos Credits: Melissa Kelly