HA student Frederik Mikkelsen wins the Stock Challenge at Business School Days 2025 and earns a unique day with investment advisors from Fynske Bank
You don’t win by doing what everyone else does. That was the strategy Frederik Mikkelsen chose when he—along with the other participants in the Stock Challenge—was given a fictional million to invest with the goal of getting the highest return. Three weeks later, he stood as the winner of the Stock Challenge at Business School Days 2025 and was rewarded with a morning alongside Fynske Bank’s investment advisors.
There was a lot at stake when the Stock Challenge kicked off during Business School Days 2025; 83 students competed to achieve the highest risk-adjusted return and earn an investment consultation with Fynske Bank. It was Frederik Mikkelsen from the BSc in Economics and Business Administration program who claimed victory.
Frederik has always had an interest in investing. At the age of just 13, he bought his first shares—investing in the Swedish company Fingerprint, which at the time was one of the most hyped and popular stocks among Danish retail investors.
The Swedes had their fingerprint scanners integrated into everything from smartphones and payment cards to cars and doors—a secure and easy way to identify oneself using a unique fingerprint. The stock soared, and Frederik was captivated by the development. A budding interest in investing began to take off for the now 20-year-old business student at the University of Southern Denmark Business School in Odense.
- I've always found it exciting—not just to follow what’s happening in the markets, but also to learn how to use key figures and analysis to assess whether something is a good investment and to challenge others’ opinions, says Frederik Mikkelsen.
High risk tolerance
He quickly learned that investing doesn’t guarantee a profit, as Fingerprint later experienced a long and steep downturn. But that’s the reality of investing—where your money can lose value.
A stock game over a short period, however, is a different matter. Frederik Mikkelsen dared to take significantly more risk in the Stock Challenge than he would have with his own money, as he was dealing with a fictional million. He ended up timing the market perfectly.
- Most of the others went for big stocks like Tesla and Nvidia, but I knew I wouldn’t win by doing the same as everyone else. I had to go for stocks with the potential to rise significantly and hope my timing was right, explains Frederik Mikkelsen.
He therefore invested a large portion of his portfolio in the small biotech company PLOS Therapeutics, which was about to publish clinical results. The timing proved perfect. The results were positive, the stock soared, and Frederik quickly cashed out before the market turned.
- If it had been my own money, I would never have taken that much risk, but that’s the great thing about the Stock Challenge. You can experiment and try different strategies, he says.
Unique insight at Fynske Bank
As the winner of the Stock Challenge, Frederik not only earned bragging rights, but also a unique insight into the daily work of portfolio managers and investment advisors at Fynske Bank. He spent half a day with Chief Financial and Wealth Officer Hans Erik Hansen and investment advisors René Andersen and Kenneth Aurbo Herold. The day also included an in-depth presentation on defense stocks and cybersecurity by Torben Bech, Head of Equities at Maj Invest.
It’s a potential career path he could consider in the future.
Frederik also got the chance to ask questions about everything from Trump’s trade tariffs to value chains and risk diversification.
This gave him valuable knowledge for when he eventually decides to reenter the investment market after a break. Even though his first investment in Swedish Fingerprint has declined significantly since he bought the shares at age 13, his enthusiasm for investing—also with his own savings—remains strong. “It’s been really exciting to learn how many factors you need to consider when investing, and I haven’t yet decided what I’ll invest in when I get back into the market. But I definitely will, because I’m sure my money will lose value if it just sits in the bank,” says Frederik Mikkelsen.
For Fynske Bank and Chief Financial and Wealth Officer Hans Erik Hansen, it means a lot to meet young people who take investing seriously.
- It’s a pleasure to share our experience and hopefully inspire them. Frederik showed great courage in the game, but he’s also very aware that there’s a big difference between a stock game and the real world. It’s crucial for an investor to clearly understand the level of risk they’re willing to take, he says.
At the business school, we want to offer our warmest congratulations to Frederik Mikkelsen on his impressive and well-deserved victory. With a risk-adjusted return of 12.5% and a total return of 244,900 DKK, Frederik delivered a result that reflects strong analytical skills and solid investment understanding. We also extend a big thank-you to Fynske Bank for a valuable partnership that helps enhance academic development and real-world learning for our students.