The University of Chicago Real Estate Investment Group (RIG) is running a student-managed real estate investment fund made possible by a $100,000 donation from two founding members, Paul Stacek (A.B. ’23) and Alessandro Rubini (A.B. ’21).
The fund, which began trading this quarter, makes RIG one of the largest undergraduate-run investment funds and one of the only student groups to actively manage capital at UChicago.
It will focus on publicly traded real estate investment trusts, commercial mortgage–backed securities, and other real estate-related equities.
A portion of the fund’s annual returns will be allocated to the Odyssey Scholarship Program, which provides loan-free education for low-income and first-generation students.
The fund will be led by seven undergraduates and supported by an advisory board of professionals in the industry.
Since its inception, RIG has found its place on campus as the only RSO dedicated to offering pre-professional opportunities in the real estate sector. It has educated over 250 students through site visits, an educational curriculum, and a cross-school case competition.
This past spring, RIG also introduced The Landmark Series, a student-organized speaker program designed to make conversations with real estate professionals accessible to the entire UChicago community. Speaker events were planned and moderated by students and focused primarily on individuals in hospitality, urban development, and investment strategy based in the Chicago area, according to fourth-year Alec Boyajian, RIG’s chair.
Speakers included Kevin Boehm, co-founder of Boka Restaurant Group, J.R. Berger, president of Magellan Development, and Rich Melman, CEO of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. The series drew over 500 attendees across its first six events, according to the 2024-25 annual report.
“This coming academic year will be a watershed moment for the organization as we activate our investment fund and continue expanding The Landmark Series,” wrote Boyajian in the annual report. “None of this would have been possible without the support of our alumni. Their ambition set us on this trajectory.”
