Student's leap of faith pays off in dividends

September 26, 2022
Mads Mortensen reflects on his internship at a Norwegian hedge fund and contemplates life after graduation.

Mads Mortensen took a leap and made a cold call to the CEO at one of Norway’s best performing hedge funds. “We had a long chat which ended up being fruitful.”

A few weeks later Mortensen landed in Oslo, Norway, where he spent his summer at Carn Capital as a research analyst intern. Originally from Florø, Mortensen wasn’t too far from home and familiar with the city. He had much more to learn during his internship.

“The most challenging aspect was definitely the steep learning curve,” Mortensen shared. “I went from not knowing anything about an industry to having the portfolio manager come to me with questions and expecting answers.” 

Mortensen took on a variety of responsibilities at the fund, from measuring the risks of several major positions at the fund to offering suggestions about industry investments. He ended his time focusing on analyzing the macrotrends of those industries that were highly exposed to Europe’s energy crisis.

“The most rewarding aspect was seeing the fund take a major position in a company after having delivered a recommendation to the portfolio manager,” Mortensen said.

Mortensen is familiar with taking leaps of faith as he committed to University of Richmond after hearing about a soccer coach’s experience at the school. “I have only been at Richmond for 18 months, but my time here has already taught me so much,” Mortensen said. “The answers will not always be right in front of my face—you usually have to dig to find them. I love how every day is a different day with different challenges. If you are bored at UR, you’re doing something wrong!” 

While he is studying finance, Mortensen isn’t sure about his post-Richmond path and is considering all options. “I can go and work for a financial firm in Norway for a year or two, or I can go backpacking in Asia for some months,” he considers. “Imagine dropping off at a random spot in Asia and letting the wind take you wherever it wants! I am yet to decide, but I think I am going0 to make the right choice.” 

We think so, too.