Author: GW Investment Institute

Full Report: GWII Quarterly Report December 2021

Market commentary

Fourth quarter of 2021 recorded strong performance, closing the year with many indexes hitting all-time highs, despite widespread political and economic uncertainties combined with the emergence of a new variant of COVID-19, Omicron. In November, for the first time ever, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) crossed 36,000 points. The DJIA still finished the year near an all-time high as concerns surrounding the Federal Reserve response to decades-high inflation metrics plus renewed fears of pandemic-related shutdowns mounted.

For the GW Investment Institute Student Investment Funds (GWII SIFs), returns were strong at 8.6% vs. 10.7% for the S&P 500 Index during the quarter. For the year, the GWII SIFs trailed the S&P 500 Index, returning 21.1% vs. 28.7%. After the first full calendar year of the pandemic, GWII SIFs continue to demonstrate strong performance and resilience, despite economic and political uncertainties impacting the broader market. The success of the GWII SIFs is a direct result of the continued hard work, dedication, and involvement of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Ethan Baron, Teaching Assistant, GW Quant Student Investment Fund

It is my pleasure to share with you this guest blog post from Lexington Zografakis, a senior at George Washington University working towards her Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Economics. She took the GW Investment Institute Venture Capital class and we are fortunate to have her as the teaching assistant for that class for two semesters. We were also pleased to nominate and support Lexington as she piloted a program for our venture capital students to intern with a start-up and learn more about the business. 

Rodney E. Lake

Director, GW Investment Institute 

Guest blog post by Lexington Zografakis

Last Spring, Vice Dean Lake asked me if I would like to pilot a fellowship program in affiliation with the GW Investment Institute and one of the portfolio companies for the Asper Group. Without hesitation, I said “yes.” At that time, however, I did not know that saying “yes” would transform into one of the most impactful and rewarding experiences I’ve had as a student at GW. 

As part of the fellowship, I interned with Obsess, a New York-based start-up that is reinventing the e-commerce interface to be more experiential and engaging through the development of 3D virtual stores for fashion and retail brands across the globe. Throughout the semester, I worked on various assignments, from creating a robust database of their virtual stores to researching different gaming platforms and their current applications in fashion and retail. I also attended meetings with the entire team each week, where I learned more about their strategic mission and emerging topics, like NFTs and the metaverse. Albeit over Zoom, I appreciated the glimpse I was able to get into life at a start-up: the excitement, challenge, and what I consider the most important, the fervent passion and support in both the highs and the lows. 

One of the most impactful parts of the experience, however, was the support and mentorship I received from Ms. Neha Singh, the founder and CEO of Obsess. Despite having a full schedule with back-to-back meetings and the various other responsibilities of being a founder, Ms. Singh met with me each week to respond to questions I had, discuss the deliverables I submitted, and provide feedback on them. In previous internships, I often struggled to understand the “why” behind the work I was doing, but the experience I had at Obsess was quite the opposite. Ms. Singh listened to me with intent, asked questions about the research I did, and ensured that I knew the value in the work I was doing. 

These past three months have been some of the most rewarding, leading to immeasurable growth as a student, professional, and person. While I gleaned invaluable insight into the life of a founder and the dynamic of working at a start-up, I was also immersed in an environment that challenged and inspired me to be more creative and inquisitive and to have far more confidence in the value I bring to spaces. And for one of the first times, I began envisioning myself as a founder where I too was capable of building a business from a place of passion and conviction. 

After having such a wonderful experience, I will be continuing working with Obsess this semester. Thank you to both the GW Investment Institute and Mr. David Asper for allowing me to be a part of this incredible experience and for providing students at GW with opportunities like this, and thank you to Ms. Singh and the rest of the team at Obsess for allowing me to be a part of the magic!