Resources Learn more about the world of alternative investments! This Week's Newsletter Private Equity Venture Capital Hedge Funds Commodities Real Estate Funds of Funds Derivatives Collectibles Cryptocurrency SPAC's What is Private Equity? Private Equity (‘PE’) is an alternative investment class that concentrates purely on private companies (i.e. firms that are not publicly-traded). PE firms utilise large amounts of capital (equity and/or debt) to purchase private companies in order to restructure the acquired company before selling them at a higher price. What are Hedge Funds? Hedge Funds are an alternative investment vehicle that pools capital from accredited and/or institutional investors to invest aggressively in relatively liquid assets. Unlike the PE and VC industry, the investment strategies employed by hedge fund managers vary drastically between firms as they actively search for excess returns, or alpha, for their investors. What is Venture Capital? Venture Capital ('VC') exists to service a gap created by the structures and rules of capital markets. In essence, when an entrepreneur comes up with an innovative and novel idea, there are no other institutions to which the inventor can turn to in order to obtain funds to realise their concept into a viable commercial business. What are Commodities? Commodities are a fungible good/service that are often used as inputs for the production of other goods/ services. To put more simply, commodities of the same type and similar quality are of equal monetary value, much like how two $100 bills are of the same value (i.e. 1kg of gold has the same monetary value regardless of the location or company in which it was extracted from. What is Real Estate? Real estate is a tangible asset, made up of land and anything attached to the land space, i.e. the buildings and any natural resources within the land space (natural resources refer to uncultivated flora and fauna, farmed crops, livestock and also mineral (deposits). Real estate is commonly subdivided into 3 categories: Residential real estate includes undeveloped land and housing complexes. Commercial real estate includes non residential structures, such as office buildings, warehouses and retail buildings. Industrial real estate includes manufacturing buildings and property, such as warehouses. What are Fund of Funds? Well, if you don't want to put all your faith in a single person, why not invest in a bunch of them. That is exactly what a fund of funds is for. Fund of Funds allows for broader diversification by holding a portfolio that contains different underlying portfolios of other funds. These holdings replace any investing directly in bonds, stocks, and other types of securities. Instead, these fund of funds will invest in other mutual funds or hedge funds What are Derivatives? A derivative is a synthetic security that derives its price from a physical market commodity or underlying asset; mainly used to manage risk exposures. The value of the underlying asset controls the derivative value. As such, derivatives do not have a fixed value over time and market conditions play an important role in deciding the value of a derivative. What are Collectibles? As the name would suggest, collectibles are items that are collected and resold for a much higher value than originally bought at. The price 'hike for future resells are due to popularity and/or rarity of the item (i.e. it is based on the perceived value). An item is classified as a collectible if it is less than 100 years old, and an antique otherwise. These items can be anything, ranging from cars, vinyl records, furniture, clothing, wine and well, a collectible may even be something unassuming like a toy. What are Cryptocurrencies? Cryptocurrency can be thought of as a digital virtual currency secured by encryption techniques that make it impossible to duplicate or double-spend. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based on blockchain technology - a distributed, decentralized, public ledger. What are SPAC's? A Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), also commonly known as blank check companies, is a company with no commercial operations that is formed strictly to raise money through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) for the purpose of buying another company. SPACs have seen much growth in recent years, with more than 50 SPACs in the US alone and $21.5 billion worth of IPO funds raised in the first half of 2020. 2025 AIS Careers guide Learn about AIS, the flagship events and career opportunities we offer. With practical advice on resumes and interviews, this guide helps you navigate the path into alternative investments. Read More

Contact Us Get in Touch! Contact us for any questions about joining the team, past/future events or collaboration opportunities. External Inquiries For external inquiries, please contact us at aisunsw@gmail.com Stay Updated To stay up to date about what we do, have a look at our social media. First name Email Subject Your message Send Thanks for submitting! Frequently Asked Questions What sort of skills do I need to join the team?/Do I need any prior experience? Having a strong interest in Alternative Investments is the best start. Having prior background knowledge or experience may help you get started but definitely is not necessary. We love having passion and drive within our teams and would gladly welcoming individuals with a keen desire to learn. What is the weekly time commitment? Our expected weekly commitment is 1 -2 hours per week however, may differ between portfolios based on number of events being held or upcoming sponsorship deals. This may require up to 3-4 hours for those particular weeks. How do I join and when does recruitment start? Recruitment for subcommittee is opened during Term 1 O-week and closes around week 3. We post all recruitment details on our fakebook page or for more information, contact us via email, Facebook or come see us at our O-week stall.

Click Subscribe to receive weekly exclusive news letters directly to your inbox Enter your email here Sign Up Thanks for submitting! Newsletters A weekly snapshot of alternative investments — covering private equity, hedge funds, market trends, career insights and many more. Stay informed with curated deal highlights, macroeconomic updates, and practical tips for breaking into the industry. 01 Recent Private Equity Deal: Blue Pool Capital x Golden Goose Blue Pool backs Golden Goose, gold prices surge amid uncertainty. Key resume tips to start strong shared at the end! 02 Nvidia Q1 Earnings and Global Implications Nvidia's strong earnings beat forecasts, Australia's data center investment boom continues, and Healthscope enters receivership with multiple buyers circling. 03 Soul Patts and Brickworks Unite in a $14b Blockbuster Merger Soul Patts and Brickworks announce $14b merger creating investment powerhouse, Star Entertainment faces $400m Austrac fine amid money laundering allegations, and Labor approves North West Shelf gas extension despite climate concerns. 04 ASIC introduces changes to fast track IPO on the ASX ASIC launches two-year IPO trial to streamline listings and boost market activity, Rio Tinto's Tomago smelter seeks billions in government support amid energy cost crisis, and Bis Industries secures $135M private credit lifeline from iPartners and Balmain. 05 KKR Acquires Australian Power Producer Zenith Energy for $1.7b KKR acquires Zenith Energy for A$1.7b in clean energy play, Unisuper invests $500m in AI-driven ASX hedge fund, and PE firms hold $1 trillion in unsold assets as M&A stalls. 06 Scape’s $3.85 Billion Expansion into Retirement Living Scape buys Aveo for A$3.85b in record real estate deal, Virgin Australia returns to ASX raising A$685m, and La Trobe launches A$300m private credit fund.

Competition Hub Resources to AIS your competitions Introduction to Case Competitions AIS Pinnacle Case Competition Slide

Sponsors Take a look at the people who continue to support UNSW's biggest alternative investment community. Affiliate Platinum Sponsor Partner Blackwattle is an Australian fund manager focused on quality investing, transparency, and alignment with clients. With $15M of personal capital invested and over 225 years of combined experience, they offer six equity portfolios (ASX & Global) and operate under strong governance with independent oversight. Rhombus AI is a full-fledged DataOps platform that combines ETL/ELT workflows with data preparation in a no-code interface powered by GenAI. Using our web app, users can build fully functional data pipelines in seconds—simply by describing them in plain English. Future IM/Pact is an industry initiative aimed at attracting more diverse talent into the investment teams of Australia’s leading super funds and fund managers Bailador is a specialist investor in the information technology and media sectors. The investment team has over 50 years of combined corporate, private equity and expansion capital investing experience, and the Board Directors are experts in their fields, bringing a wealth of capability to the table. Australia Payments Plus (AP+) is a prominent Australian payment services company formed by the merger of several key financial service providers. AP+ is responsible for managing and innovating critical payment infrastructure in Australia, including EFTPOS, BPAY, and NPP. Moomoo is an Australian online trading platform that offers commission-free access to a wide range of global financial markets, including stocks, ETFs, and options. It provides real-time market data, technical analysis tools, and institutional insights, making it a versatile platform for traders. EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society, the planet, while building trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow. Interested in partnering with UNSW's largest alternative investment community? Contact Us!

About Us The UNSW Alternative Investment Society (AIS) is a student-run, finance-oriented organization that aims to raise student awareness on the world of alternative investments. 2025-2026 AIS Leadership Team What We Do Bridging the Gap We aim to bridge the knowledge and opportunity gaps between students and employers by leveraging upon our unique professional network. Partnerships with Firms Partnering with Australia’s leading alternative investment firms, we host immersive case competitions, exclusive networking opportunities and information panels. Flagship Case Competitions Our flagship case competitions, co-hosted with industry leaders such as EY, and Pinnacle Investment , are an excellent introductory taste to the role of an analyst in the financial industry. Meet Our Team Co-Presidents Albert Vuong Vanessa Shim Saloni Pandya Vice President Activities Kathy Wang Vice President Externals Executives Directors Careers Christine Cen William Lin Thitaree Thongkham

Learn more UNSW Alternative Investment Society 6,200+ Member Reach 10 Prestigious Affiliates 1,500+ Active Members At AIS, we empower students to become alternative investment professionals through education, collaboration, networking and hands-on experience. Amazing Opportunities AIS holds various events throughout the year, ranging from social gatherings to learning and networking opportunities. Making Real Connections AIS provides a strong community for our students and build upon our strong connections. Learn Valuable Skills AIS delivers students with exposure to various projects that promote creativity, teamwork and interpersonal skills. Our Events Gallery

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