Guest Speaker: EDEN Fund

Recently, we had the privilege of learning from Adrian Hernandez EDEN’s Co-President and Nikolai Myrstad EDEN’s stock team Portfolio Manager. Eden is Spain’s first student-run endowment fund, supported by IE University and the IE Foundation. Their presentation was not just about investing, it was about how young people can turn finance into a tool for social good.

The session showed us what happens when students take learning beyond theory and start putting financial concepts into practice. EDEN was founded on the belief that the best way to understand markets is to be part of them: to make decisions, analyse risks, and take responsibility for real outcomes. It’s a project built by students, for students, combining academic rigor with real-world purpose.

Practice Over Theory: Real Investing, Real Impact

The EDEN team explained how their fund mirrors the structure of a professional investment firm, managing a diversified portfolio that includes equities, bonds, and ETFs. But unlike most funds, EDEN’s goal is not personal profit. Every euro earned is directed toward scholarships for future students, helping to remove financial barriers to higher education.

We learned about their rigorous investment process, which includes idea generation, research, and an approval system through investment committees and supervisory boards made up of finance professionals and alumni. Each step is treated with the same discipline found in large financial institutions. From detailed equity reports to macroeconomic analyses, EDEN operates as a fully functional fund where students are responsible for every decision.

Talent, Diversity, and a Global Community

Another highlight of the session was learning about EDEN’s strong community of over 70 members and alumni from more than 15 nationalities, representing degrees from business to computer science. Since its launch in 2022, the fund has received over 600 applications, selecting only around 10% of candidates through a competitive process that includes interviews, case studies, and financial analysis challenges.

Portfolio Management Lessons

The team also introduced us to their three-part investment structure:

• A Core portfolio for diversification and stability through safer inflation hedging assets like government bonds, and real estate.

• A Macro portfolio focused on economic trends, sectors, and ETFs.

• A Stocks portfolio focused on small-mid cap companies with high potential for growth.

Together, these portfolios reflect a balance between risk management and long-term vision, something that many professional investors struggle to master. The students showed examples of their real investments, from Build-A-Bear Workshop to chip manufacturer Axcelis Technologies. They explained how their core portfolio allows them to take more risk and learn by investing in equities. Not only did they share their successes like Build-A-Bear but also shared some failed proposals, but always remarking the importance of learning from it and moving forward. 

Lessons Beyond Investing

We were inspired not only to keep learning about markets, but also to think about how our decisions, financial or otherwise, can have an impact on others, because in the end, learning to invest wisely also means learning to invest in people.