Key Takeaways
- • University of Chicago's Real Estate Investment Group (RIG) launched a student-managed investment fund capitalized with a $100,000 donation from two founding members, Paul Stacek (A.B. '23) and Alessandro Rubini (A.B. '21), positioning it among the largest undergraduate-run investment funds at the institution.
- • The fund commenced trading this quarter and will focus on publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS), and real estate-related equities, managed by seven undergraduates supported by an industry advisory board.
- • A portion of annual fund returns will be allocated to the Odyssey Scholarship Program, which provides loan-free education for low-income and first-generation students, integrating social impact into the investment vehicle.
- • RIG expanded its educational reach through The Landmark Series, a speaker program designed to democratize access to real estate industry professionals across the UChicago campus, complementing existing site visits and case competitions that have engaged over 250 students since inception.
Summary
The University of Chicago Real Estate Investment Group has formalized its position as a pre-professional alternative investment vehicle on campus with the launch of a $100,000 student-managed real estate investment fund, funded through donations from two founding members. The fund, which began trading in the fourth quarter of 2025, represents a significant institutional commitment to undergraduate investment management and marks one of only a handful of student organizations at UChicago actively deploying capital.
The fund's investment mandate encompasses publicly traded REITs, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and other real estate-related equities. Operationally, the vehicle will be overseen by seven undergraduate portfolio managers with guidance from an external advisory board composed of industry professionals, creating a structured governance model that balances student autonomy with experienced oversight. This dual-management approach addresses a common challenge in student-run funds: maintaining investment discipline while preserving the educational objective.
A distinctive feature of the fund structure is its commitment to social impact capital allocation. The organization has committed to distributing a portion of annual returns to the Odyssey Scholarship Program, which provides need-based, loan-free education to low-income and first-generation students. This mechanism integrates values-aligned investing into the fund's mandate while supporting the broader institutional mission of accessibility.
Beyond the fund launch, RIG has expanded its programming through The Landmark Series, a speaker initiative launched in spring 2025 that provides campus-wide access to conversations with real estate sector professionals. This educational programming complements the organization's existing infrastructure of site visits and cross-school case competitions, which have collectively reached over 250 students since RIG's inception. The organization now functions as the sole on-campus vehicle dedicated to pre-professional real estate sector development, addressing a market gap in alternative asset class education at the undergraduate level.
The fund's investment mandate encompasses publicly traded REITs, commercial mortgage-backed securities, and other real estate-related equities. Operationally, the vehicle will be overseen by seven undergraduate portfolio managers with guidance from an external advisory board composed of industry professionals, creating a structured governance model that balances student autonomy with experienced oversight. This dual-management approach addresses a common challenge in student-run funds: maintaining investment discipline while preserving the educational objective.
A distinctive feature of the fund structure is its commitment to social impact capital allocation. The organization has committed to distributing a portion of annual returns to the Odyssey Scholarship Program, which provides need-based, loan-free education to low-income and first-generation students. This mechanism integrates values-aligned investing into the fund's mandate while supporting the broader institutional mission of accessibility.
Beyond the fund launch, RIG has expanded its programming through The Landmark Series, a speaker initiative launched in spring 2025 that provides campus-wide access to conversations with real estate sector professionals. This educational programming complements the organization's existing infrastructure of site visits and cross-school case competitions, which have collectively reached over 250 students since RIG's inception. The organization now functions as the sole on-campus vehicle dedicated to pre-professional real estate sector development, addressing a market gap in alternative asset class education at the undergraduate level.
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