About Us
What We Do
The Griff Investment Fund is the first student-run investment fund in the North of England and one of the first in the UK. Based at the University of York, we are proud to be entirely student led. The fund grew out of the York Investment Fund, a virtual fund created in Autumn 2011 by York alumni and Griff Investment Fund founders. The fund was formed in the summer of 2013 with funds provided by University of York alumni and Global head of Institutional Business at HSBC Asset Management, Mr Paul Griffiths.
The Griff portfolio is a long-only equity investment vehicle, investing in stocks which offer a unique value proposition, with research and sourcing of investment opportunities coming from the analyst body. The fund's target is to generate a rate of return beating the FTSE 350, whilst ensuring analysts have the space to learn and develop their investment knowledge, techniques and individual theses.
The aim of the fund is to promote a general understanding of financial markets, by gaining an appreciation of the opportunities and problems involved in managing an investment portfolio. All investment decisions are made by analysts - students at the University of York.
We’re a group of like-minded students with a passion for investing, finance and markets. We have a diverse group of talent across multiple degree disciplines with every analyst contributing towards investment decisions. Each and every analyst is pivotal to every investment decision we make. We strive to make every voice heard within the Fund.
Founded on Four Main Pillars:
Education
Education is at the forefront of our priorities. As a fund, we have a dedicated training weekend for new analysts as well as numerous training sessions for everybody throughout the year.
Scott Clark, our Chief Training Officer (2022/23) stated that “Griff provides a fantastic platform to build your knowledge of financial markets and stock valuations. As soon as analysts join, they complete their training over the course of a weekend at the end of October. They’re taught everything from presentation techniques to financial terminology and valuation methods by experienced analysts in the fund. We emphasise that no prior knowledge is necessary when looking to join the fund. We are focused solely on creating an environment for growth, both educationally and socially, for individuals who are motivated to grow their skillsets and knowledge in this industry.”
Opening Doors
Being a member of the Griff Investment Fund has given many of our students and alumni direct industry-related experiences with a head start on other candidates.
Our members have interned at and received graduate offers from:
… and many more. We attract and develop some of the keenest and most passionate young investors at the University of York, and provide them with the necessary skills to break into any industry.
Creating Growth
Creating growth is central to the operations of the Griff Investment Fund. To maximise the performance of the fund and best identify opportunities to grow our assets, the fund is split into six sectors where analysts utilise their sector knowledge and conduct buy/sell pitches throughout the year.
Weng Lum Khoo, our Chief Investment Officer (2023/24), adds that “The Chief Investment Officer and Chief Risk Officer guide the investment approach of the fund while working with the six sector heads to incorporate industry-specific knowledge into our macro-focused outlook. Each sector is responsible for managing its holdings and conducting sell/buy pitches to redirect the sector in line with the fund’s outlook. Working together as a fund and utilising the capabilities of all members, we have been able to respond to volatile market conditions through a combined approach of capital preservation and calculated risk-taking. This has allowed us to outperform US equity markets as well as the MSCI ACWI Index in the last year.”
Charity
Every year we donate a portion of our profits (around 20%) to local charities. This is an important part of our ethos to give back to the local community.
Julia Solecka, our Chief Business Development Officer (2021/22) stated that “As a fund, we are always looking for new ways to give back to our members, the university and our wider community. By donating 20% of our yearly profits, we are able to support our local charities while also staying close to our 4 founding values.”