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Dear Investment Club ZH Community,
Last semester, we achieved unprecedented growth. Ever since introducing our new membership model, our Community has grown to over 100, and our Analyst Team includes 30 motivated students. Event attendance increased by 200%, and our partners enthusiastically backed our initiatives. The spirit in our board is high, which for the first time is made up entirely of non-founders. We even went on our first-ever city trip to Milan, which was a great success. And we are just getting started.
Growth is crucial for a young club like ours. But to sustain it, we must build on strong foundations. Therefore, this semester’s letter focuses on our core principles. If we stay true to them, we will unlock opportunities that go beyond what we ever imagined possible.
Our most valuable resource
Time is a student’s most valuable resource, and it is in short supply. Students must balance lectures, assignments, exams, lab courses, sports clubs, socials, friends, and relationships. This list is non-exhaustive. Our time at university is a wonderful exploration of infinite possibilities. As a student-run club organising extracurricular events, we are well aware of this and are sometimes painfully reminded of the fact. It is therefore our duty to build a great club that engages its members and organises compelling and fun events. Time with us should be time well spent.
Knowledge Compounds
Our club is about learning and gaining the confidence to invest by yourself. Investing is overwhelming at first. And guess what? It’s like this for everyone. That’s why our club exists. By investing your time to join our events or Analyst team, you can gradually build your investing knowledge. Like all forms of learning, progress may be slow at first, but don’t get discouraged, because knowledge compounds over time. This makes our club’s proposition of being able to learn about investing during your university years so powerful.
We believe in building our knowledge through hands-on experience. Our Analysts come from many different backgrounds, bringing different perspectives and relentless motivation. Guided by senior analysts, they quickly gain confidence and, in turn, teach the next generation [1]. Every analyst can develop a clear, independent investing philosophy.
Thinking long-term
We have established that time is the most valuable resource, and compounding knowledge requires a time investment and patience. But what about the time scale we operate on? Students’ lives are fast-paced, and most analysts stay with us for one to two years. What happens after they leave?
This question has encouraged us to think in long time scales. This autumn, we will launch a new program to keep alumni connected and show prospective members that commitment to the club leads to lasting rewards. Thinking in decades rather than semesters is our special trait and competitive advantage.
Learning and teaching
The main reason clubs fade is that a motivated group of members fails to pass on the club’s stewardship to the next generation. If we are serious about the long-term, we must get this right, every single time.
Our membership model aims to ensure this. New Analysts can learn from our more senior Analysts. Analysts can go on to join the board, where they in turn learn from existing members. Whilst our more experienced club members teach, they are also learning [2].
Every learning opportunity within our club is an investment in the future. Life presents many investment opportunities, and we are better prepared when they appear. Especially for our analysts, our club asks for a bigger commitment than other university clubs. This way we attract students with the interest in learning [3].
Thank you for this great semester. Together, we are in a strong position to make the next one even more successful. Join us next semester and help shape the future we’re building.
Zurich, 29. January 2025
Mark Bühler
President
Investment Club ZH
Notes
[1] From day one, our Analysts engage in practical cases. The result: we learn fast.
[2] True understanding comes when you can teach it to others. That’s why teaching is a core part of our learning model.
[3] We look for genuine curiosity in our Analysts — not those looking to polish their CVs. We are not a “career club”. Our mission is to enable authentic learning and prepare members for the future.
Many thanks to Oliver Joergensen for your constructive feedback in drafts of the letter.