When discussing their freshman year dorm, students might reflect on New Student Orientation (NSO), FROSH 101 or a dorm trip to Yosemite. A few freshmen in Branner Hall, however, might think about the time they started a hedge fund out of their dorm room.
Branner resident Aditya Gupta ’28 started the Branner Investment Club with some of his friends in the dorm after election betting was legalized via the prediction market Kalshi. The intention of the club was to foster dorm community, which is why membership in the club is limited to residents of Branner Hall, Gupta said.
“Usually when you think of hedge funds or an investment club, you tend to think of very exclusive communities,” Gupta said. “I think what we have here is the opposite, where the point is to just learn that you’re responsible for your own future and that you have the tools at your disposal.”
The Branner Investment Club, jokingly referred to as the Branner Hedge Fund or Branner Endowment Fund, has attracted at least 16 residents, including some of the Branner Resident Assistants (RAs).
Altan Mardin ’28, who joined the club without any investment background, now finds himself researching what stocks in the biotechnology and healthcare industries the group should invest in.
“When we think we have something we’d like to pursue, we just call a meeting to explain what we’re thinking and decide whether we want to move forward with that approach or not,” Mardin said of the group’s process of investing.
Gupta intentionally keeps the club’s barrier to entry low. There is no monetary threshold for residents to join. The purpose is to keep the club as accessible as possible, so that anyone in Branner can feel free to learn about investing tools for the future.
Returns-wise, the club is up around 18% since Nov. 12, but its main goal is to teach members about the investing process, Gupta said. Whether or not they make returns, Gupta believes the club should focus on the excitement of learning and engaging in real world ventures.
Club member Devin Abrahams ’28 has kept a more hands-off approach to the club’s decision-making but believes the club is a good way to meet new people. Abrahams said that giving out money often leads to the “serious first conversation” with another club member that allows connections to form.
Justin Oh ’28, who helps assess potential and current investments to make trades, said the club invites the thrill of diving into the unknown.
“I feel like I’ve adopted a more ‘risk-hungry’ mindset in the sense that I realized there’s no better time to experiment than now,” Oh said. “When I make decisions today, it’s become more of a question of ‘Why not?’ rather than ‘Why?’”
In the meantime, the club remains open to Branner residents, and Gupta is pleased by the sense of community that students have found in the club.
“I was in my COLLEGE 102 class, and someone asked one of the students, ‘What communities are you part of?’ They said, ‘I’m part of the Branner Endowment Fund.’” Gupta said. “Something that usually has a very negative stigma to it is now being spun in a positive light.”