Value Investing Congress and SumZero Announce Three Finalists for the 1st Annual Value Investing Challenge

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Sep 12, 2012) - The Value Investing Congress and SumZero, Inc. yesterday revealed the three finalists for the top idea contest, the Value Investing Challenge.

The three finalists are Ryan Fusaro of LionEye Capital Management, Matthew Kirk of Lonestar Capital Management, and Steven Wood of GreenWood Investors. The Challenge, which began on July 10, 2012, was designed to encourage high-quality investment research, unearth top investing talent, and level the playing field so that lesser-known (but equally-brilliant) investors have the opportunity to present in front of the high-profile Value Investing Congress audience.

From a total eligible pool of over 110, the three finalists were selected based on the clarity of their written pitch and degree of persuasiveness inherent in their investment ideas. Submissions were evaluated by a team of well-known value investors with several decades of professional experience between them. The panel of money managers served voluntarily and without compensation, but also asked to remain anonymous.

The greater investing public is now invited to read each pitch and vote on the grand winner. The specific pitches selected as finalists include:

• A long recommendation of Jack in the Box pitched by Ryan Fusaro (LionEye Capital)
• A long recommendation of Fiat pitched by Steven Wood (GreenWood Investors)
• A long recommendation of Cincinnati Bell pitched by Matthew Kirk (Lonestar Capital Management)

Voting begins on September 12, 2012 and ends of September 26th at the contest website, www.ValueInvestingChallenge.com. The investing public can read the full reports on the contest site.

The ultimate winner of the Value Investing Challenge will be determined by the investing public. The winner will have the opportunity to present his/her idea at the next Value Investing Congress, taking place October 1 & 2, 2012, in NYC alongside world-renowned investors including Bill Ackman, David Einhorn, Barry Rosenstein, and Alex Roepers, to name a few.

"The Value Investing Congress offers an environment where extraordinary thinking thrives and where the best and the brightest are heard," explains John L. Schwartz, CEO and Co-Founder of the Value Investing Congress. "We created the Value Investing Challenge on that foundation." 

Whitney Tilson, Chairman and Co-Founder, added, "We were truly impressed with the quality of the investment ideas, and we look forward to the winner's presentation at the Value Investing Congress."

"Regardless of who ultimately wins, this contest has already been a tremendous success," said Divya Narendra, CEO/Co-Founder of SumZero, Inc. "We received a huge number of submissions from professionals working at top hedge funds and mutual funds. These are incredibly talented individuals who do not get heard from on a large scale often enough because they don't manage a lot of assets or because they haven't made a blockbuster trade. Thanks to this contest we're now hearing from a lot of them and the investing public will now hear from them as well."

Eligible contest participants were required to be current members of the SumZero community and had to have significant experience at buyside investment institutions including hedge funds, mutual funds or private equity funds with limited exception.

Those interested in reading the finalists' investment pitches can do so at the official contest site at: www.ValueInvestingChallenge.com. Readers are invited to vote on the grand contest winner.

The contest officially kicked off on July 10, 2012 and concluded on September 4, 2012.

About the Value Investing Congress
Whitney Tilson and John L. Schwartz established the Value Investing Congress in 2004 so that passionate value investors -- disciples of Graham, Dodd, Buffett and Munger -- can meet and learn from one another and achieve even greater investment success. Tilson is one of the country's best known value investors and is the co-founder of Value Investor Insight. Schwartz is the founder and former CEO of Continuing Medical Education, Inc., the highly successful medical information company. More information is available at ValueInvestingCongress.com.

About SumZero
SumZero is the world's largest community of buyside investment professionals. SumZero's members-only website is designed to help buysiders identify and connect with other buyside investors in a compliant environment, share original research, and identify professional opportunities within the industry. SumZero's membership currently includes thousands of the world's largest and most prominent hedge funds, mutual funds, and private equity funds. Founded in 2008, SumZero is built on the belief that investing is not a zero-sum game. More information is available at www.sumzero.com.