18 Reasons To Attend The 2018 Ira Sohn Conference

One of the most exciting days of the year for finance professionals is just a few weeks away. The 23rd Annual Sohn Investment Conference is taking place on April 23, 2018, at Lincoln Center in partnership with CNBC. It is bound to be another exhilarating day of investment insights. Building upon the prestige of more than two decades of leadership in investment conferences, this year’s speaker lineup will include legendary investors David Einhorn and Jeffrey Gundlach returning to the stage, alongside numerous fresh faces.

Every year, the Sohn Investment Conference gathers brilliant finance minds to present their innovative stock picks to an audience of thousands of finance professionals and investors, all for the critical cause of treating and curing childhood cancer. The Conference was launched to honor the legacy of Ira Sohn, a Wall Street investor who passed away at just 29 years old when he lost his fight against cancer. All proceeds from the Conference benefit the Foundation and its mission to treat and cure pediatric cancer. As Evan Sohn says, “People come for the content, and they write the check to the charity.”

At past Sohn conferences, the ideas presented by speakers have moved the markets. Take for example David Einhorn’s 2008 short bet against Lehman Brothers shortly before the bank collapsed. In 2016, Sohn Investment Idea Contest winner Marc Grow pitched a short bet on Dexcom, an insulin device maker, shares of which fell shortly after his presentation and continued to plunge, dropping as much as 30% by October 2017. Or consider Debra Fine’s 2017 idea that DHX Media, a Canada-based content producer, was in a better position than Netflix to capitalize on children’s TV programming, leading to a 7% surge in DHX Media stock following her presentation. We expect no less excitement from this year’s outstanding lineup:

Nathaniel August, Mangrove Partners: With a fund name inspired by the resiliency of mangroves, August seeks stability in often-volatile financial markets, and we’re curious to see what his pick will be.

David Einhorn, Greenlight Capital: A longtime friend of the Sohn Conference Foundation, Einhorn is notorious for his short picks. His short pick of Core Laboratories in 2017 led to a 2% tumble of the stock.

Scott Ferguson, Sachem Head Capital Management: Ferguson represents an investment firm that takes an interesting approach as an activist investor by only occasionally pushing for change in the companies where it invests. He recently made headlines for encouraging changes at the holding company of popular British coffee chain Costa Coffee.

Jeffrey Gundlach, DoubleLine Capital: The Wall Street “Bond King” returns to Sohn to wow attendees with more exciting ideas. At last year’s event, he announced that he had just created his first-ever Twitter account, which has since grown to nearly 50,000 followers.

Bill Gurley, Benchmark: Gurley brings his expertise to the growing contingent of Silicon Valley investors at Sohn, who eagerly await his fresh perspectives.

Glen Kacher, Light Street Capital: As founder and CIO of a $1.1 billion tech-focused hedge fund, Kacher’s stock picks are likely to be guided by his insights into the world of startups.

John Khoury, Long Pond Capital: Khoury is a fairly regular Sohn presenter with a fund that focuses primarily on real estate. At past Sohn Investment Conferences, he’s pitched Hyatt Hotels and American Homes 4 Rent.

Chamath Palihapitiya, Social Capital: At last year’s Sohn Investment Conference, the former Facebook executive turned venture capitalist turned hedge fund investor said it’s worth investing in Tesla, stirring up some controversy. A returning audience favorite, he also made headlines when he pitched Amazon as his pick at his Sohn debut in 2016.

John Pfeffer, Pfeffer Capital: This entrepreneur and investor is best known for his insights into cryptoassets, a hot topic that he may raise as part of his presentation this year.

Li Ran, Half Sky Capital: Ran has quickly risen to new heights in the hedge fund industry, and we’re excited to see her take the main stage after speaking during Next Wave Sohn in 2017 where she pitched an unusual bet – Fever-Tree drink mixers.

Larry Robbins, Glenview Capital Management: His hockey jersey and surprise $1 million donation to The Sohn Conference Foundation in memory of his father at last year’s Sohn Investment Conference stole the show. What will he surprise us with this year?

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz: Stephens-Davidowitz brings a new perspective on data as a New York Times best-selling author and op-ed contributor, visiting lecturer at The Wharton School, and former Google data scientist.

In addition to these speakers, Next Wave Sohn is featuring:

Alexander Captain, Cat Rock Capital Management: He launched his fund in August 2015, which takes a fundamental-value approach to picking stocks and targets smaller, lesser-known companies. This approach could influence his newest stock pick.

Tim Garry, Pelorus Jack Capital: Although he only recently launched his long-short equity fund, Garry is well known in the industry for his contributions to other leading firms, such as dampening the return volatility of Passport.

Scott Goodwin, Diameter Capital Partners: As the co-founder and managing partner of a credit start-up led by former Anchorage pros, Goodwin is sure to give an exciting pick this year.

Rashmi Kwatra, Sixteenth Street Capital: In 2014, Kwatra became the youngest-ever partner of Prince Street Capital Management, and now she is focusing on the highest-growth frontier and emerging markets at Sixteenth Street.

Patrick McCaney, Oaktree Capital Management: As a portfolio manager at this legendary fund, McCaney specializes in value investing, distressed debt investing, proprietary trading, and Latam investing.

Oleg Nodelman, EcoR1 Capital: He was named one of Institutional Investor’s 2015 Hedge Fund Rising Stars and represents a biotech focused fund.

The Sohn Conference Foundation is also hosting exciting competitions to support its fundraising efforts. The Sohn Investment Conference’s annual Investment Idea Contest, sponsored by GLG, is an opportunity for any investor to submit an investment idea for a marketable security, long or short, with a market capitalization above $1 billion. Submissions are reviewed by a panel of world-renowned investors, including Larry Robbins, Bill Ackman, Joel Greenblatt, David Einhorn, and Seth Klarman. The winner will have the opportunity to present his or her idea on the Sohn stage to an audience of nearly 3,000 attendees and the finalists and semi-finalists will also receive complimentary tickets to attend the Sohn Investment Conference. The contest closes this Thursday, April 5, 2018, at 12 p.m. EDT. Be sure to submit your idea!

Another interactive contest is coming to the Sohn Investment Conference this year for the first time. Look out for an announcement about the new contest on April 17, 2018 and be sure to keep your eye on the stock market in preparation.

Insider Monkey will be at the Sohn Investment Conference getting the inside scoop on the top investment picks. Come join us to get the latest by registering at www.sohnconference.org.