Key Takeaways
- • The 2026 London Sohn Investment Conference, held at the Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square, will feature speakers delivering 12-minute investment pitches to a packed audience, with no prior disclosure of their subjects.
- • The Sohn Investment Conference has raised in excess of $150m for paediatric cancer research since its origins in 1993, according to co-chairs Dina Geha and Piers Butler.
- • The event falls two weeks after the US midterm elections and will feature its first AI panel, reflecting a shift in focus toward return on AI investment and the timing of its eventual payoff.
- • Co-chair Piers Butler says pitches on individual stocks generate more audience interest than thematic discussions, and every pitch must include a target price and an upside or downside.
- • Speaker lineups have broadened from traditional long/short equity managers to include multiple strategies, with last year's lineup including short seller Carson Block and activists James Palliser and Boaz Weinstein.
Summary
The Sohn Investment Conference traces its origins to 1993, when Ira Sohn, a young Wall Street professional, died of cancer. His manager, colleagues and friends conceived a conference at which leading investors would present their best ideas to a paying audience, with proceeds donated to paediatric cancer research. The first event was held in New York in 1995. According to co-chairs Dina Geha and Piers Butler, speaking to Hedgeweek, the series has since grown into a global franchise with events across Asia, Europe and the US, and has raised in excess of $150m for research funding.
The 2026 London edition will take place at the Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square. Speakers deliver 12-minute pitches without disclosing their subjects in advance, and Butler notes that preparing a coherent, engaging presentation within that window requires weeks of rehearsal. Last year's lineup included short seller Carson Block and activist investors James Palliser and Boaz Weinstein. Butler said previous pitches that resonated most with audiences were those centred on individual stock ideas rather than broader thematic arguments.
The conference falls two weeks after the US midterm elections, at a time when markets are digesting the results against a backdrop of geopolitical tension, oil price volatility, changing supply chains and rising interest rates. Geha described this dispersed environment as creating opportunities on both the long and short sides, calling it the "essence of Sohn." She explained that every pitch ultimately addresses whether a stock is fundamentally under- or overvalued, with speakers presenting a target price and an upside or downside.
The London event will also host the conference's first AI panel. Butler said the trade is entering a new phase, with focus shifting from semiconductor and infrastructure capex growth toward returns on investment and the timing of eventual payoffs. Geha noted that the speaker mix has evolved considerably since the event's early years, when long/short equity managers dominated, to reflect a more varied asset management industry. She said the organisers aim to secure speakers offering high-conviction, differentiated ideas and access to people audiences would not otherwise meet.
The co-chairs also emphasised networking and idea exchange as core to the event's appeal, a feature disrupted during Covid-19 when the conference was shelved and the New York edition was held virtually. Butler said attendees value the networking and connections, and the organisers expect the London 2026 edition to be stronger than previous years.
The 2026 London edition will take place at the Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square. Speakers deliver 12-minute pitches without disclosing their subjects in advance, and Butler notes that preparing a coherent, engaging presentation within that window requires weeks of rehearsal. Last year's lineup included short seller Carson Block and activist investors James Palliser and Boaz Weinstein. Butler said previous pitches that resonated most with audiences were those centred on individual stock ideas rather than broader thematic arguments.
The conference falls two weeks after the US midterm elections, at a time when markets are digesting the results against a backdrop of geopolitical tension, oil price volatility, changing supply chains and rising interest rates. Geha described this dispersed environment as creating opportunities on both the long and short sides, calling it the "essence of Sohn." She explained that every pitch ultimately addresses whether a stock is fundamentally under- or overvalued, with speakers presenting a target price and an upside or downside.
The London event will also host the conference's first AI panel. Butler said the trade is entering a new phase, with focus shifting from semiconductor and infrastructure capex growth toward returns on investment and the timing of eventual payoffs. Geha noted that the speaker mix has evolved considerably since the event's early years, when long/short equity managers dominated, to reflect a more varied asset management industry. She said the organisers aim to secure speakers offering high-conviction, differentiated ideas and access to people audiences would not otherwise meet.
The co-chairs also emphasised networking and idea exchange as core to the event's appeal, a feature disrupted during Covid-19 when the conference was shelved and the New York edition was held virtually. Butler said attendees value the networking and connections, and the organisers expect the London 2026 edition to be stronger than previous years.
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