The 17th Annual Invest For Kids Conference will take place on October 21, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. CDT at the Harris Theater in Chicago. The highly anticipated event brings together an elite lineup of investors and industry leaders to share market insights, investment strategies, and bold new ideas - all while raising funds to support Chicago’s youth.
Can’t make this great ideas event which supports an even greater cause? – Stay tuned for our in-depth coverage of the conference
This year’s conference will feature a mix of keynote presentations, fireside chats, and an Emerging Manager Spotlight highlighting two rising stars from Chicago’s investment community (to be announced soon). Attendees will also have multiple opportunities to network, beginning with an informal lunch at 11:30 a.m., an extended intermission, and a closing cocktail hour at 4:30 p.m.
Subscribers can access the full PDF report of our Invest For Kids 2025 Conference coverage at the bottom of this page.
Also see Sohn San Francisco Conference 2024 Coverage
Invest For Kids 2025 Agenda
11:30 am - Networking Luncheon
1:00 pm - Program Begins
Introduction & Opening Remarks
David Tykocinski, Maverick Capital
Speaking at Invest For Kids, David Tykocinski argued that AI investment is in the early innings of a fundamental infrastructure cycle and pointed to one mid-large cap tech name as a key beneficiary as semiconductor bottlenecks shift deeper into the production stack. He emphasized that AI spending is self funded by profitable customers and that the market continues to underestimate the earnings power that will emerge as supply constraints ease. Full details can be found linked in the coverage.
- See: Maverick Capital CIO – Why AI Isn’t A Bubble And A Long Idea In The Space
Brett Barakett, Tremblant Capital
Brett Barakett explained why structurally superior active ETFs unlock significant tax alpha and highlighted his Tremblant Global ETF (TOGA), and pitched dominant Southeast Asian superapp transitioning into a strong free cash flow generator. He expects both structural and stock specific alpha to compound together for long term investors. Full details are linked in our coverage.
- See: Tremblant Capital’s Brett Barakett – This Dominant Firm Trading At $6 Could Easily Triple
Brad Henderson, P33
Brad Henderson described Chicago’s strategy to lead the next era of computing through quantum technology, citing several public stocks as examples of the future QPU ecosystem. He framed quantum as the successor to CPU and GPU architectures and pointed to tangible early use cases in finance, chemistry, and industrial optimization. Read more in the linked coverage.
- See: Why Chicago Is Betting $20 Billion On The Third Era Of Computing And QPUs
Fireside Chat: Real Estate & Infrastructure
- Kathleen McCarthy, Blackstone
- Ghiané Jones, Teachers’ Retirement System, State of IL (Moderator)
Kathleen McCarthy said real estate is emerging from a cyclical low and detailed Blackstone’s conviction in sectors tied to digitization, including data centers through the firm’s QTS platform. She stressed that falling financing costs, constrained new supply, and resilient rent growth position the best quality assets for recovery. See much more in the linked coverage.
- See: Blackstone’s Kathleen McCarthy Bets on Rates, Data, and Digitize-or-Die Themes
2:30 pm - Intermission
3:00 pm - Program Resumes
Mission Moment: Greg White, LEARN Charter School
Erika Klauer, Science & Technology Partners
Erika Klauer presented two long ideas powered by profitable AI adoption today, including a public safety technology stock and a company in precision diagnostics. She believes both businesses have durable data moats, accelerating growth, and valuation upside that is not yet reflected in market pricing. Full details can be found in the linked coverage.
- See: S&T Partners’ Erika Klauer Does Deep Dive On These Two Stocks
Charlie Bobrinskoy, Ariel Investments
Charlie Bobrinskoy pitched an oil and gas stock as a deeply undervalued energy name trading near 3 times EV to EBITDA due to overly pessimistic assumptions about peak oil. He sees demand remaining strong for decades, supported by rising natural gas consumption and new production catalysts that the market is discounting. Full details are available in the linked coverage.
- See: Ariel’s Charlie Bobrinskoy – Buy This Great Oil Stock At 3X EV/EBITDA Amid Generational Mispricings
John Harris, Ruane Cunniff
John Harris laid out the case for a manufacturer as his best ideas, citing its entrenched position in a commercial aerospace duopoly and the long term service revenue tied to engines already in the field. He also sees meaningful upside from its defense and small modular nuclear reactor businesses, all while reminding investors of the emotional patience required for high conviction holdings. Full details can be found in the linked coverage.
- See: Ruane Cunniff’s John Harris – Why This Aerospace Firm Is The Best Stock Out There & The HD Paradox
Fireside Chat: Private Investing
- Byron Trott, BDT & MSD
- Raghuram Rajan, University of Chicago Booth School (Moderator)
Byron Trott described his focus on founder and family controlled businesses and noted the firm’s proximity to the Dell and Broadcom ecosystems as technology increasingly shapes all industries. He stressed consistent compounding, disciplined risk management, and the need for companies to adopt AI or risk falling behind. Full details will be available in the linked coverage.
- See: BDT & MSD Partners’ Byron Trott On Owner-Owned Business & Why You Should Worry About Inflation
4:30 pm - Program Concludes; Cocktail Hour
Invest For Kids 2025 Speaker Lineup
- Kathleen McCarthy, Blackstone – Real Estate & Infrastructure
Kathleen McCarthy is the Global Co-Head of Blackstone Real Estate. Blackstone is the largest owner of commercial real estate globally and an industry leader in opportunistic, core plus and debt investing across North America, Europe and Asia. Ms. McCarthy focuses on driving performance and growth for Blackstone’s Real Estate business. Ms.
- Ghiané Jones, Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois – Private Investing
Ghiané Jones serves as the Deputy Chief Investment Officer of the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) of the State of Illinois. Founded in 1939 by the Illinois General Assembly, TRS is one of the largest public pension systems in the United States, providing retirement benefits to over 457,000 members and managing assets exceeding $74 billion. Based in Chicago, Ms. Jones manages TRS’s newly established office in the city where she oversees the investments department.
- Byron Trott, BDT & MSD Partners
Byron D. Trott is Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank with an advisory and investment platform built to serve the distinct needs of business owners and strategic, long-term investors. He is also Co-Chief Investment Officer of BDT Capital Partners, a registered investment advisor of the firm.
- Brad Henderson, P33 – Quantum Computing
Brad is the founding CEO of P33 where he is leading the nonprofit organization to drive global technology leadership for Chicago and inclusive economic growth for all. He brings twenty-plus years of professional experience and brings a deep understanding of how to unlock economic opportunities that benefit businesses and individuals to P33’s efforts.
Also see Full 2024 Sohn Hong Kong Conference Coverage
- Charlie Bobrinskoy, Ariel Investments – Compelling Investment Ideas
Charlie Bobrinskoy manages the focused value strategy of Ariel Investments - an all-cap, concentrated portfolio of U.S. stocks. He also spearheads Ariel’s thought leadership efforts and takes an active role in representing Ariel’s investment strategies with prospective investors, clients and major media.
- John Harris, Ruane Cunniff
John Harris currently serves as the Managing Partner of Ruane Cunniff and is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. John is an analyst on the Wishbone, Poplar and Sequoia teams. He is the Portfolio Manager of the Wishbone private partnerships, a co-portfolio manager of the Poplar private partnerships and a member of the Sequoia Strategy Investment Committee.
- Brett Barakett, Tremblant Capital
Brett Barakett is the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Tremblant Capital, a global alternative asset management firm focused on public equity investments, and the Chief Investment Officer of the NYSE-listed Tremblant Global ETF (TOGA). Since its inception in 2001, Tremblant has frequently appeared in rankings of the top 100 best performing and largest hedge funds.
- David Tykocinski, Maverick Capital
Mr. Tykocinski serves as Co-Chief Investment Officer of the Public funds, is a member of the Portfolio Management Committee, and the Maverick Growth Investment Committee. From 2014 until 2020, Mr. Tykocinski led the Media and Telecom sector before that portfolio was merged with the Consumer team. Prior to joining Maverick in 2011, Mr. Tykocinski was an analyst at Blackstone. He graduated (cum laude) with a B.A. in Economics from Yale University
A Mission Beyond Markets
True to its mission, 100% of the dollars raised through ticket sales and sponsorships will be awarded to high-impact nonprofits that support Chicago’s youth. Since its founding, Invest For Kids has become a cornerstone event in the city’s finance community, uniting more than 1,000 professionals each year to both exchange ideas and drive social good.
For more details on speakers, sponsors, and 2025 grant recipients, or to register for the event, visit investforkidschicago.org.
See the full PDF of our coverage of the Invest For Kids 2025 Conference below.
