Sohn Hearts & Minds

What Sohn Hearts & Minds does

Sohn Hearts & Minds is an Australian non-profit organization that operates Australia's premier annual investment conference, founded in 2016 by Matthew Grounds AM and Dr Gary Weiss AM and inspired by the Sohn New York Conference. Each year the one-day event brings together roughly 600 attendees — including high-net-worth investors, fund managers, institutional/superannuation investors, and corporate supporters — for lightning stock pitches, panel discussions, and keynotes from global investment figures (Ray Dalio, Charlie Munger, Howard Marks, Anthony Scaramucci, Dan Loeb, Lord Michael Hintze). All ticket proceeds (e.g., $4,025 NZD per ticket for the 2026 Queenstown event) are donated to Australian medical research beneficiaries including the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Black Dog Institute, MS Australia, and JDRF Australia, with cumulative donations of $90.5M+ since inception.

The organization's core products are twofold: the conference itself and the affiliated Hearts and Minds Investments Limited (HM1), an ASX-listed investment company that launched via oversubscribed IPO in November 2018 with Chris Cuffe AO as Chairman. HM1 holds a concentrated portfolio of 25-30 high-conviction global equity positions sourced from fund managers who donate their ideas pro bono, and donates 1.5% of net tangible assets annually to medical research. The business model combines one-time ticket sales (with group/corporate packages and Gold/Silver/Bronze sponsorship tiers) with a perpetual listed investment vehicle that aligns investor returns with philanthropic impact. Distribution is direct via the organization's website for tickets and via the ASX for HM1, supported by media partnerships with the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, The Age, and Sydney Morning Herald. The headcount of 1-10 indicates a lean operating team, with strategic support from founders, HM1's Chairman, and a network of fund-manager partners.

Name

Sohn Hearts & Minds

Legal name

Sohn Hearts & Minds

Website

https://sohnheartsandminds.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sohn Hearts & Minds is an Australian non-profit that runs an annual investment conference featuring stock pitches and keynotes from global fund managers, with all ticket proceeds donated to Australian medical research. It operates alongside HM1, an ASX-listed investment company that donates 1.5% of NTA annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Conference & Philanthropy Events

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance & Investment Conferences (MPAGAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

Keywords

• Investment conference
• Medical research philanthropy
• Listed investment company
• Stock pitch event
• Fund manager insights

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference Ticket Sales: 100% of ticket proceeds from the annual conference are donated directly to Australian medical research. Ticket prices for 2026 Queenstown conference are $4,025 NZD inclusive of 15% NZ GST.
2. HM1 Listed Investment Company: Hearts and Minds Investments Limited (HM1) is an ASX-listed investment company that provides investors with access to high conviction stock recommendations from fund managers. Fund managers waive fees allowing HM1 to donate 1.5% of NTA annually to medical research.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sohn Hearts & Minds produces an annual investment conference bringing together 600+ investors, fund managers and thought leaders for lightning stock pitches, panels and international keynotes, with 100% of ticket proceeds directed to Australian medical research beneficiaries. The affiliated HM1 (Hearts and Minds Investments Limited) is an ASX-listed investment company that channels conference stock ideas into a concentrated 25-30 position global equities portfolio and donates 1.5% of NTA annually to medical research.

Product overview

Sohn Hearts & Minds operates as a dual-purpose organization offering two interconnected products: (1) the Sohn Hearts & Minds Conference, an annual investment conference featuring lightning stock pitches, industry panels, and international keynote speakers; and (2) HM1 (Hearts and Minds Investments Limited), an ASX-listed investment company that implements the investment ideas presented at the conference into a concentrated portfolio. The conference serves as the originating platform that surfaces investment opportunities, while HM1 provides a mechanism for investors to access those ideas in a listed vehicle, with proceeds supporting Australian medical research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sohn Hearts & Minds Conference Annual one-day investment conference bringing together 600+ investors, fund managers and global thought leaders for lightning stock pitches, dynamic panels and international keynotes. Features 32+ speakers and supports Australian medical research, with 100% of ticket proceeds directed to beneficiaries.
• HM1 (Hearts and Minds Investments Limited)

Quantifiable outcome

• $90.5 million+ donated to Australian medical research since 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, major and event.

• Victor Chang Cardiac Research InstitutecoreOthersFounding beneficiary of the Sohn Hearts & Minds conference. Matthew Grounds AM was Chairman of the Institute when the conference concept was developed to create sustainable funding solutions.
• Black Dog InstitutecoreOthersMental health research beneficiary receiving conference proceeds and ongoing support from HM1 donations.
• MS AustraliacoreOthersMultiple sclerosis research beneficiary of conference donations since inception in 2016.
• JDRF AustraliacoreOthersType 1 diabetes research beneficiary receiving support from conference proceeds.
• Sohn Conference FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal parent organization that established the foundation in 1995 in memory of Ira Sohn. Sohn Hearts & Minds is the exclusive Australian affiliate, inspired by the successful Sohn New York Conference format. Foundation operates events in 10 cities worldwide.
• Hearts and Minds Investments Limited (HM1)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASX-listed investment company (HM1) that implements the conference stock picks. Fund managers donate recommendations pro bono, enabling fees to be directed to medical research. Listed November 2018 following oversubscribed IPO.
• First Eagle InvestmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMatthew McLennan, Co-Head of Global Value Team at First Eagle, is a key speaker and Core Fund Manager for HM1.
• SkyBridge (Anthony Scaramucci)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnthony Scaramucci, Founder and Managing Partner of SkyBridge, is a headline speaker at 2025 conference. He is a prominent global investor and thought leader.
• Third Point (Dan Loeb)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDan Loeb, CEO and Founder of Third Point LLC ($21 billion AUM), is a featured speaker. Presented stock picks and investment insights.
• Deltroit Asset Management (Lord Michael Hintze)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLord Michael Hintze, Founder and CEO of Deltroit Asset Management, is a headline speaker. One of Australia's wealthiest international billionaires.
• Australian Financial ReviewmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor media partner providing coverage and editorial content for the conference. Publishes stock picks and speaker interviews.
• The AustralianmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing extensive coverage of conference speakers and investment insights.
• Equity MateseventGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent partner providing podcast and media coverage of conference stock picks.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Morningstar Investment Conference: Large investment-research conference series bringing together portfolio managers, advisors and allocators. Operates globally with broader institutional reach but a comparable investor-insights value proposition.
• Tiger 21: Membership network of HNW investors with peer-learning groups and curated investment content. Comparable audience (HNW individuals) and overlapping value proposition around exclusive investment insights and high-net-worth community.
• World Economic Forum (Davos): Annual Davos summit convening global finance, political and philanthropic leaders. While far broader in scope, it shares the invitation-only, elite-attendee, philanthropy-adjacent positioning that defines the Sohn Hearts & Minds experience.
• Milken Institute Global Conference: Large-scale elite conference bringing together global finance, policy and philanthropy leaders. Operates at much greater scale than Sohn Hearts & Minds but serves overlapping HNW and institutional audiences seeking exclusive investment and policy insights.
• Forbes Global CEO Conference: Invitation-only summit for global CEOs, investors and thought leaders. Comparable exclusive, high-profile format targeting elite investor and executive audiences, though broader in scope than the Sohn investment focus.
• Consensus (CoinDesk / Bullish): Major crypto and finance conference attracting institutional investors, fund managers and policy leaders. Operates at much larger scale but competes for the same HNW-investor attention and thought-leader speaker calendar.

Direct peers

• SkyBridge Capital (SALT Conference): SALT is a leading alternative-investment conference hosted by Anthony Scaramucci's SkyBridge Capital, targeting institutional allocators and HNW investors. Directly competes for the same HNW-investor attention and global thought-leader speaker slate.
• SuperReturn (Informa): Premier private-equity and alternatives investor conference series with global editions. Targets institutional allocators and fund managers with curated investment insights, directly comparable to Sohn Hearts & Minds' investor-attendee composition.
• Sohn Investment Conference (New York): The original Sohn conference founded in 1995 in memory of Ira Sohn; Sohn Hearts & Minds is the exclusive Australian affiliate and replicates the same stock-pitch + philanthropy format for HNW investors. Same operating model, target audience and speaker roster.

Regional players

• Australian Financial Review Business Summit: AFR's flagship Australian business summit gathering top executives, investors and policymakers. Regional peer competing for the same Australian HNW and institutional audience, with strong media backing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sohnheartsandminds
• Xx.com/sohnheartsminds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sohn Hearts & Minds