At the Capstone Student Investment Conference 2026 (CSIC 2026), Robotti & Company founder Robert Robotti spoke about his strategy of investing in ugly ducklings he believes are poised to turn into swans.
Background on Bob Robotti
Before founding Robotti & Company in 1983, Robotti served as vice president and chief financial officer of Gabelli & Company. He’s also a director on the boards of AMREP Corp., Tidewater and Pulse Seismic. Robotti holds a BS from Bucknell University and an MBA in accounting from Pace University.
Robotti & Company seeks to exploit the “inefficiencies of an ‘efficient market,’” searching for publicly traded companies trading for less than their intrinsic value. The firm utilizes a contrarian style, which means it tends to invest opposite from the market.
An odd world
Robotti thinks the world’s been an “odd place” for the last 10 or 15 years, adding that we’ve lived through what he sees as a “totally unique period of time.” Given the younger age of most of the audience, Robotti said they must just think this is the way the world is, meaning there’s a general perception of how the world, financial systems and economies work.
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