Inside the Tozzi Center: Where Students Put Investment Theory to the Test
The Tozzi Electronic Business and Finance Center at the Ross School of Business gives students the opportunity to put classroom theory into practice, managing thousands of dollars in real investments as part of their learning experience.
A lab where students learn by doing
For students interested in all things investing, there is no better place at Ross to learn than the Tozzi Center. Located on the lower level of the Michigan Ross building, the Tozzi Center is a lab open to all University of Michigan students and hosts a variety of classes, clubs, and extracurricular activities, plus action-based learning programs such as trading simulations and competitions.
These experiences reinforce what students learn in the classroom and provide a space where they can gain practical career skills. For example, in the finance lab, students have free access to professional-grade tools and software like FactSet and Bloomberg to conduct real-time financial data analysis. Students also learn to use these tools in classes like Capital Markets and Investment Strategy (FIN 408), Financial Trading (FIN 440), Valuation (FIN 615), and Managing the Maize and Blue Fund (ACC 335).
Beyond its associated classes and resources, the center is best known for supporting the many student-led investment funds at Michigan Ross, which boasts more than $10 million in funds under student management. BBA and MBA students manage pools of real money as they research, select, and invest in early-stage start-ups across industries while managing existing holdings.
A few of the largest currently active funds include the Maize and Blue Fund, Wolverine Venture Fund, Zell Lurie Commercialization Fund, International Investment Fund, Social Venture Fund, Zell Founders Fund, and the Real Estate Fund.
Practice makes professionals
According to Kai Petainen, manager of the Tozzi Center, through opportunities like the funds, students gain invaluable experience and benefit from something rare in investing: a truly safe environment to experiment and take risks.
“This may sound odd, but one of the most important lessons that students learn is failure,” said Petainen. “ This is a safe space for making mistakes in the market and then learning from those mistakes.”
Petainen serves as the trading floor manager in the finance lab, where he has helped teach students about valuation, portfolio management, quant screening, and more for twenty years. He helps students learn the ins and outs of investing and mastering the lab’s trading software. His hope is that, by the time students enter the workforce, they’re ahead of the curve, having already worked through and learned from beginner mistakes.
Vincent Wei, BBA/BS ’25, a recent Ross alum and former vice president of technology for the Maize and Blue student fund, is already making great use of what he learned at Ross in his role as a software engineer at Amazon.
“I was with the Maize and Blue Fund for four semesters, and it was a tremendous experience. It allowed me to apply investment concepts in real time, connect and constantly learn from peers, advisors, and alumni, as well as learn to design, flesh out, and deliver sophisticated trade ideas,” said Wei.
In building these valuable financial skills, students like Wei are prepared for careers in investing as well as career paths that diverge from finance altogether.
“Though I chose to pursue a non-finance career track after Ross, my experience at the Maize and Blue Fund was invaluable because it strengthened my analytical rigor, sparked curiosity to ask deeper questions, and pushed me to develop soft skills like collaboration and communication that I use every day,” Wei said.
Connecting to a network of success
For students who are interested in going into finance or investing post-graduation, the Tozzi Center, particularly its funds, has a large network of alums to help current students get their foot in the door at notable employers. Alums of the Maize and Blue Fund have gone on to work at Goldman Sachs, Blackstone, Morgan Stanley, Evercore, the Raine Group, among others.
Students have many chances to connect with these alumni for career advice and guidance through action-based learning opportunities like the Pitch Competition and guest speaker events.
“Each year, six alumni return to speak with our students in the fund, giving them a rare opportunity to learn firsthand from experienced fund managers about the realities of investing and career development,” said Pedram Nezafat, faculty advisor to the Tozzi Center and lecturer of finance. “Last year, Joshua Kaufman spent two days at Ross working side by side with our students — critiquing pitches, sharing career advice, and showing what it truly means to be part of the Maize and Blue Fund community.”
