About Ryan J. Ross, CFA
Founder, Stock Pitch Lab
Buy-Side Coaching. From the Buy-Side.
About
Ryan J. Ross, CFA
Founder, Stock Pitch Lab
Buy-Side Coaching.
From the Buy-Side.
The Origin Story
(How I Learned This The Hard Way)
I went back to business school at the University of Michigan (Ross) to make the switch to the buy-side. On paper, I had everything: CFA, five years in corporate finance, student investment fund experience, Training the Street workshops.
I was getting interviews consistently. And I kept losing in the final round.
The problem wasn't my models—I could build a DCF in my sleep. It wasn't effort—I was outworking everyone I knew.
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I picked well-known names because I thought familiarity would make my pitch easier to defend. I practiced with classmates, got positive feedback, adjusted my answers—and then walked into the real interview and got blindsided by an entirely different line of questioning.
I wasn't battle-tested. I didn't have a real bear case. My variant perception sounded more like hope than conviction. And under pressure, I hedged instead of defending.
The turning point came when I stopped doing student-style prep and started thinking like an asset manager—leading with risk, defending my thesis with conviction, and building a view that could hold up under real scrutiny.
That's what earned me my first buy-side role at American Century.
But I never forgot what it felt like to walk out of those early interviews knowing I'd left the offer on the table—not because I wasn't qualified, but because I didn't sound like someone who already managed money.
The Moment that Changed Everything
In one final round, a PM asked me a simple question: "What's your edge here?" I had a model. I had a thesis. But I didn't have an edge—and the interview turned right there. That experience became the foundation for everything I teach today. You shouldn't have to figure this out through trial and error.
That's why I built Stock Pitch Lab.
I know exactly where candidates fall short because I made every one of those mistakes myself. And I know exactly what gets people hired because I've spent years sitting in the seat that makes those decisions. That's why this work matters to me—no qualified candidate should miss an offer because they never learned how real investors think. But the pitch is where decisions actually get made.
From Analyst To Cio: My Buy-Side Journey
15 Years Managing Institutional Capital
Chief Investment Officer, McMorgan & Company (2020–2025)
Recruited to build the firm's equity platform from the ground up. Launched two concentrated value strategies and grew them to $115M AUM. Led investment decisions, portfolio construction, and client communications.
When I critique your thesis, I'm using the same framework I used to decide what belonged in the portfolio—and what didn't.
Portfolio Manager, Bernzott Capital Advisors (2014–2020)
Managed a $1B Morningstar 5-Star rated Small Cap Value fund and helped grow firm assets from $450M to $1.3B. Led stock selection and presented investment cases in hundreds of committee meetings where ideas were challenged, defended, and either funded or rejected.
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I'll never forget one of my early committee presentations—a small-cap industrial I was convinced would double. I walked in confident.
The CIO let me talk for maybe ninety seconds, then asked: "Walk me through your downside case."
I froze.
I'd spent three weeks building the bull case. I had revenue models, margin expansion scenarios, peer comps. But I'd spent maybe fifteen minutes thinking about what could actually go wrong.
The CIO didn't say much. He just moved to the next agenda item
That meeting taught me how real capital allocation works:
You don't get funded because your upside is compelling. You get funded because your risk case is defensible.
That's what I teach now—not how to pitch a great story, but how to defend a thesis the way someone with real money on the line demands.
Early Career: Building the Foundation (2011–2014)
Started as Investment Analyst at American Century Investments (2011–2012) and Equity Analyst at Madison Investment Advisors (2012–2014). Built investment cases from scratch, presented to PMs, defended positions under pressure, and learned how institutional investors evaluate ideas.
Over my career, I have:
Managed concentrated portfolios through multiple market cycles
Evaluated 1,000+ stock pitches from analysts, PMs, and candidates
Sat in the seat that decides who gets the offer
Seen which ideas hold up under pressure—and which fall apart
This is the pattern recognition I bring to coaching.
"I can spot a fatal flaw in 60 seconds—not because I'm harsh, but because I've seen those mistakes lose real money. That kind of pattern recognition only comes from years of actual capital allocation decisions."
Not ready for a call? Start here—the 7 patterns that get candidates cut in the first 60 seconds.
10 Years Teaching Students To Think Like Investors
Adjunct Professor of Finance (2015–Present)
Teaching forced me to articulate what years of investing had taught me: how to think like an investor, defend a thesis, and communicate conviction without sounding reckless.
It also showed me the gap most students face: they could build models and explain frameworks, but they couldn't sound like someone who managed real capital. The ones who broke in were the students I coached 1-on-1 on their pitches—using the same frameworks I used in investment committee meetings.
The Moment I Knew This Had To Be Taught Differently:
I remember working through this with one of my students—pitching a consumer discretionary name for his buy-side interviews. His DCF was pristine. His slides were professional.
But when I asked him "Why this stock over its closest competitor?" he said: "Better margins."
That's not a variant view. That's a fact anyone can see on a Bloomberg screen in five seconds. We spent the next hour rebuilding his thesis—not around what was better, but around what was different.
What was the market missing? What inflection point were others not seeing? What would make this outperform even if the sector was flat?
That's the shift that changes everything. Not "this company is good." But "Here's what I see that you don't."
He went into his next interview with a completely different pitch. He walked out with an offer.
That's when I realized: No one was teaching this.
Mentorship and Guidance
Before formally launching Stock Pitch Lab, I was already coaching recent graduates preparing for investment roles—testing the same frameworks that now define the program.
“Ryan’s guidance was instrumental in helping me map out exactly what I needed to do to stand out. He helped me focus my efforts and ultimately land my first investment management role."
— Chris G., Senior Equity Research Analyst at $20B+ Midwestern-based Investment Firm
Chris’s outcome—landing at coveted seat at a major asset manager—validated the approach: individualized coaching, rigorous frameworks, and relentless pressure testing until candidates sound bulletproof.
Bridging the Gap: Theory vs. Practice
Most finance programs teach you how to calculate. I teach you how to think.
Vijay Amorshi, a former student in two of my courses, Investment Analysis and Business Valuation, explains the critical difference between "academic finance"—which often feels noisy and theoretical—and the practical reality of how analysts actually make decisions.
"He taught the way analysts actually work... connecting the narrative to the model. Because of that, I feel confident explaining my logic to the people who actually make decisions."
— Vijay Amarshi, former student
Why Stock Pitch Lab is My Full-time Focus
I left my CIO role to build Stock Pitch Lab full-time. Not because I was done with finance—but because every recruiting season, I watched qualified candidates lose offers they deserved. Not due to lack of intelligence or effort, but because they sounded like students instead of investors.
What kills interviews:
I’ve seen strong candidates lose final-round offers for one sentence. A PM pushed the bear case, and the candidates says: "Well, I guess if everything goes wrong, the stock could go down 30-40%." That phrase—"if everything goes wrong"—killed it.
Real investors don't hedge like that. They say: "If quarterly active users decline two quarters in a row, monetization breaks and I'm out."
That specificity is the difference between sounding like an analyst and sounding like a student. Career services can help with resumes. Bootcamps can teach modeling. But neither can teach the judgment, mindset, and communication style real PMs use to evaluate ideas.
I Built Stock Pitch Lab Around The Only Thing That Actually Moves The Needle In Buy-side Interviews:
How PMs evaluate risk
How conviction is communicated
The real questions that expose weak thinking
The flaws that kill pitches in 60 seconds
The difference between "smart" and hirable
This isn't a side project. This is my full-time focus.
When I critique your Nike or Wingstop thesis, I'm asking the same questions I asked in investment committee meetings: What's the variant view? What breaks the thesis? How much do we lose if we're wrong?
That's why Stock Pitch Lab exists.
My Coaching Philosophy
Most candidates think buy-side interviews test technical knowledge. They don't. They test judgment.
Here's what I believe:
Risk First, Always
Most candidates lead with upside. Real investors lead with downside. I teach you to structure your pitch the way PMs actually think—by understanding what you could lose before celebrating what you could make.
Conviction Is NOT About
Being Right
It's about knowing exactly what would make you wrong. The best investors have a clear falsification framework. I'll teach you to articulate yours with the same clarity I used when managing real capital.
Defensibility > Complexity
The worst pitches I've heard were the most complex. The best were simple, clear, and bulletproof under questioning. I don't teach you to sound smart—I teach you to sound trustworthy.
"Ryan has a rare ability to cut through the noise and simplify complex valuation topics. He didn't just help me manage the work; he showed me how to refine my ideas into a clear, structured investment thesis. That focus on clarity and structure is a standard I still carry with me as a Senior Equity Analyst."
— Ali Mogharabi, Senior Equity Analyst, WestEnd Capital
That's the bar. I don't teach templates. I don't teach jargon.
I teach judgment:
How real investors think about risk
How to communicate conviction under pressure
How to defend a thesis without sounding rigid or defensive
How to sound like someone who could manage capital on day one
The Difference Between "Smart" and "Hirable" Most candidates sound like they are taking an exam. I teach you to sound like you are making a decision.
You're Not Proving You Know Finance—You're Proving You Can Be Trusted With Capital
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Student: "The company is undervalued."
Investor: "The market is pricing in 2% growth; I see 6% based on X." Student: "Strong competitive advantages."
Investor: "Switching costs are 40% of annual spend." Student: "If things go wrong..."
Investor: "If EBITDA margins compress below 18%, the thesis breaks."
"My job isn't to make you sound impressive—it's to make you sound like someone a PM can hire with confidence."
Ready to Start?
I work with a limited number of clients each recruiting season—MBA students, undergrads, and early-career professionals who are serious about breaking into buy-side roles and understand that generic interview prep won't get them there. If you're interviewing at firms where stock pitches matter and you want coaching from someone who's sat on both sides of the table, let's talk.
In our call, I'll evaluate where your pitch currently stands and tell you exactly what needs to change. No sales pitch—just a straight assessment of whether you're ready or what's missing.
Not ready for a call yet?