Richard Davis ’27: Hedge Fund Summer Investment Analyst at Selkirk Partners, L.P.
By Richard Davis ’27- Selkirk Partners, L.P. is a global long/short equity investment partnership based out of Portland, ME and New Jersey. It was founded in January 2008 by Stewart Strawbridge, Tom Oatman, and Christian Amundsen. Selkirk employs deep fundamental research stemming from audit and operational expertise to compile a concentrated portfolio of high-conviction investments. Selkirk's investment thesis blends psychology, monetary factors, valuation, and leans heavily on technical analysis metrics to guide decision making.
- During my time at Selkirk, I contributed to several high-impact research and investment initiatives including:
- Analysis of commercial real estate opportunities mostly in the Portland, ME area
- Equity research on the emerging AI landscape and potential investment themes
- Examination of European credit markets and related opportunities
- A deep dive into the digital automotive sector and its long-term growth drivers
- Through this internship, I learned the importance of training myself to think critically and independently when evaluating investments. I found that it's easy to agree with buy/sell recommendations, but true conviction comes from questioning underlying assumptions and developing my own perspective. This process of challenging conventional views is what creates an edge in investing.
- This informed my career aspirations slightly. To be honest I didn't know what to expect from the hedge fund/investment side of finance. After this internship, I see clearly how captivating a career in investing can be because markets are always shifting. I think my career aspirations shifted in the sense that I would absolutely consider working for a hedge fund later in my finance career after gaining early exposure through a banking or private equity role.
- I developed new skills in being able to compile and track basic financial models that are necessary to evaluate a businesses profitability, cash flows, and assets. These models helped me assess whether a business had the financial strength to be considered for investment.
- My favorite part was learning under the direction of Stewart Strawbridge. Observing his interaction with partners and clients, as well as hearing stories of both successful and challenging past investments, was extremely interesting and taught me invaluable lessons about the realities of investing.
Internship funded by The Annual Fund For Career Readiness