Strategic Capital Group

Who We Are

The Strategic Capital Group, or SCG, is USIT's internal portfolio management group. SCG is a dedicated group of analysts that monitor investments after they have been added to the portfolio, lead the stock pitch teams, and direct small-group mentorship groups to pass on their knowledge.

SCG consists of Junior Analysts, Senior Analysts, and Portfolio Managers. SCG Junior Analysts are trained through an accelerated finance and accounting curriculum taught by the group head, the Director of Investment. Junior Analysts and other qualified members then progress to the Senior Analyst position where they mentor and teach new USIT members in Analyst Group settings. Upperclassmen SCG members can then become Portfolio Managers and run their own portfolio using a portion of USIT's funds.

How to Join

Members of SCG are chosen through a competitive application and interview process each year. Freshmen can join at the Junior Analyst level each Fall semester. The selection process begins with resume and application submission. Individuals are then asked to attend an invitational lunch to meet the members of SCG. Applicants who advance to the next stage will be called in to interview with the Executive Board and senior SCG members. Candidates do not need to have prior financial knowledge but should demonstrate interest, work ethic, and intellectual curiosity.

Senior Analysts and Portfolio Managers are chosen at the end of each Spring semester through a rigorous interview process. While previous financial knowledge is not necessary to join SCG at the Junior Analyst level, applicants to Senior Analyst and Portfolio Manager positions must have demonstrated knowledge in finance through the Junior Analyst program, internships, competitions, or extensive investment team experience.

Our Team

Director of Investment

Raaga Kodali
Director of Investment
Ashburn, VA
CBHP, Finance
Class of 2028
investment@usiteam.org

Three fun facts about Raaga are that she’ll never miss an opportunity to mention her 17-mile hike in Norway, she learned how to drive stick shift at the age of eight, and she’s played six different intramural sports at UT (yet still can’t win a shirt). This past summer, she interned with Brookfield’s infrastructure investments team and spent all her free time (and money) discovering the best eats in New York. She’s all ears if you ever want to chat about the DMV (not the Department of Motor Vehicles), women’s sports, or your favorite coffee spots in Austin!

Portfolio Managers

**Christian Burlacu**
Industrials
Flowermound, TX
CBHP, Finance
Class of 2028
Christian is a junior from Flower Mound majoring in Canfield Business Honors and Finance. He’s a big tennis and mountaineering enthusiast, and if you see him at the gym, it’s safe to assume his next stop is Cabo Bobs. This past summer, Christian interned at UTIMCO in Austin, while also climbing in the French Alps and Rockies.

**Joshua Rosenblum**
Industrials
Houston, TX
Finance
Class of 2028
Josh is a super chill guy who spends way too much money on double fish burritos at Cabo Bob’s. Among other things, he dabbles in fly fishing, golf, and morning runs around Town Lake. He loves trying new restaurants, reading books, and cooking dinner for friends.

**Sonali Gupta**
Industrials
Plano, TX
Finance, Textiles & Apparel
Class of 2028
When Sonali isn’t taking pics with her trusty digicam or grabbing a chai latte, you’ll find her adding way too many things to her online shopping cart because she still “doesn’t have anything to wear.” In between all that, you’ll usually catch her rewatching her favorite sitcoms – New Girl, Parks & Rec, The Office, and Modern Family.

**Ilan Benavi**
Financials
Austin, TX
CBHP, Finance
Class of 2027
Ilan was born and raised in Austin, and is proud to come from a family of longhorns. He's currently a junior double majoring in BHP and Finance, and is incredibly excited to serve as a USIT portfolio manager this year! In his free time, he enjoys racket sports, history novels, and playing poker.

**Tina Luo**
Financials
Flowermound, TX
CBHP, Finance, Math
Class of 2027
Tina loves her ands: Trader Joe's and Costco, matcha and coffee, math and language. When she's not frolicking or playing word games, she's probably relying too much on Google Maps just to make sure she does, in fact, still know the way to Wampus. Last summer, Tina interned in New York at a hedge fund. Talk to her about dance, gymnastics, or ice skating (she's woefully inept at sports involving a moving object), and never hesitate to reach out to chat about anything!

**Ishaan Puri**
Generalist
Austin, TX
Finance
Class of 2027
Ishaan is a senior who was born and raised in Austin. In his free time, he enjoys dramatic masterpieces, reading, and playing hold 'em. This past summer, he traveled to Chicago and New York.

**Akash Bansal**
Generalist
Naperville, IL
CBHP, Finance
Class of 2027
Akash is a senior majoring in Finance and CBHP from Naperville, IL (ranked the top suburb in the nation BTW). When Akash is off the spreadsheets, you can find him listening to music, playing pickleball, or watching sports — sometimes a combination of the three. He really enjoys traveling, including to Vegas, where he went with friends this summer. If you want to become friends with him, buy him John Summit tickets or anything EDM, food, or ask to play pickle. His freshman summer he studied abroad in Copenhagen, sophomore summer he interned as a Private Equity Summer Analyst at Haveli Investments in Austin, and this summer is interning at Guggenheim as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst. Other than that, he is really looking forward to the year ahead and meeting everyone! Hook ‘em

**Mark Rivera**
Generalist
Austin, TX
BHP, Finance, Math
Class of 2027
Mark is a Senior from Austin studying business and math. He enjoys running, MMA, and swimming. When he’s not giving brain-dead UFC takes, you might find him eating cereal. He plans to complete the Orion’s Belt challenge this year (full meal at P Terry's, Chick-fil-A, and Raising Cane's all within an hour), so hit him up if you want in.

**Leo Shao**
Special Situations
Pleasanton, CA
BHP, Finance,
Class of 2028
Leo grew up in China, the D.C. area, and the Bay Area so he's still eating his way around Austin. You can find him dragging his friends to run around Lady Bird Lake with him, taking long naps, eating copious amounts of Chipotle, or attempting to watch a new movie (he can't seem to gather the attention span to ever finish one). He's looking forward to a fruitful school year with hopefully a few positive poker games.

**Tasyn Patel**
Special Situations
Wilmette, IL
CBHP, Finance
Class of 2028
Tasyn is originally from the northern Chicago Suburbs, and loves Chicago sports teams. When not working out or playing as much golf as possible, he enjoys trying new food spots and discussing movie recommendations with his friends. His favorite food is ribeye and favorite movie is Gladiator. He also is a huge fan of The Sopranos and loves talking about it. Tasyn is looking forward to another great school year of Texas football and more golf.

**Justin Zhu**
Tech, Media, and Telecom
Plano, TX
Finance
Class of 2027
Justin is an avid Butler-er who occasionally picks up his golf set. He loves to play board games and anything involving strategy. He’s looking forward to visiting Europe for the first time.

**Michael O’Connor**
Tech, Media, and Telecom
Arlington Heights, Illinois
BHP, Finance
Class of 2028
Michael O'Connor is a junior majoring in Canfield Business Honors and Finance while minoring in International Business. In his free time, he enjoys running, watching the Chicago Bears, and grabbing a bowl at Chipotle. A fun fact about Michael is that he lived in Singapore for five years and has travelled to over 30 countries. This past summer, he interned at a Dallas-based metals and mining hedge fund and studied abroad in Spain.

**Srjana Srivatsa**
Tech, Media, and Telecom
Plano, TX
Math
Class of 2027
When Srjana isn’t devouring peanut butter cups, dancing, or vlogging on Youtube (@srjanasdiary), you’ll find her on X collecting film for her amateur sports-edit-tiktok-account. This past summer, she spent time working on a quant research team in NYC and attempting to learn Cyrillic cursive. If you ever feel like fangirling over cute dresses, yapping about mid politicians, or exchanging podcast recs, hit her up to grab coffee!

**Mayank Gulecha**
QMI
Austin, TX
Math
Class of 2027
Mayank is a senior math major interested in hedge funds and risk management. He likes cooking, hiking and raves. Feel free to ask him about his favorite trading strategy or a cool conspiracy theory he’s read about.

Shreyas Potta
QMI
Prosper, TX
Finance
Class of 2028

Shreyas is a junior Finance major who spends his free time vibecoding personal projects, exploring new spots around town, and casually pursuing the holy grail of profitable SPX 0DTE trading. Outside of the terminal, he loves playing ping pong, hosting poker nights, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen. Feel free to reach out about anything—he’s always up to meet new people, especially if you have a Kalshi trade in mind.

Connor Stewart
PIT
Katy, TX
BHP, Finance
Class of 2028

Connor is a rising junior majoring in BHP and finance from Katy, Texas. He spends his free time working out and scrolling Facebook Marketplace for the best deals. You can find him thrifting for new band tees or building his latest LEGO set.

Joyce Lin
PIT
Allen, TX
Finance, Social Work
Class of 2028

In another life, Joyce is Gordon Ramsay's sous chef, Jeremy Lin's shooting guard, or Phoebe Bridgers' songwriter (Juicy J as her stage name). In this life, she loves hosting dinner parties, perfecting her left-handed layup at Greg, and dissecting song lyrics on the lawn. Last summer, she was a Public Investments Analyst at The Baupost Group. She's also an avid competitive eater and swears she can eat a watermelon faster than you. Please reach out - she's always stoked to meet new people!