01
$100,000 simulated capital
Start with a virtual portfolio and make decisions in a live semester-long challenge.
New Fall 2026 • COTRUGLI Pilot
What would you do with $100,000?
COTRUGLI AI Investing Lab — Investing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence with Professor Dan Ye.
Build a $100,000 simulated portfolio. Explore the technologies reshaping the next decade. Make investment decisions, explain your thesis, use AI tools, and test your judgment against the market.
Starts Aug 31, 2026
8 live sessions
Every other Monday
Recordings for enrolled participants
Simulated portfolio
Starting capital
$100,000
AIThesis
QuantumSignal
RoboticsPosition
EnergyWatch
BiotechResearch
MarketBenchmark
Your challengeCan your thesis beat the market?
The experience
This is not a passive investing course.
You will not spend the semester only listening to theories about markets. You will build a simulated portfolio and repeatedly decide what to buy, sell, hold or rebalance — then explain why.
02
Portfolio competition
Use the MarketWatch competition environment and track how your decisions perform.
03
AI-assisted analysis
AI tools are encouraged in research, discussion and assignments.
04
Investor frameworks
Explore lenses associated with Buffett, Swensen, Cathie Wood, Peter Diamandis and others.
05
Explain the thesis
Every trade becomes an argument: what do you believe, and what would prove you wrong?
Future technologies
Invest in the technologies shaping the next decade.
The course moves from broad technology trends into concrete investment questions — turning emerging technology into decisions inside your portfolio.
Theme 01
AI & the next generation of technology
AITheme 02
Trading strategy & investor frameworks
↗Theme 03
Quantum computing
QTheme 04
Blockchain & digital infrastructure
BTheme 05
Humanoid & bipedal robotics
RTheme 06
Energy storage & Grid 2.0
ETheme 07
Biotech & bioengineering
BioThe question
Which thesis survives the market?
?Build the portfolio.
Test the thesis.
The objective is simple to understand and difficult to achieve: become a better investor by making disciplined decisions and learning whether your thesis survives contact with the market.
You will prepare, debate, invest or rebalance, explain the “why” behind your decisions, and reflect on the results as the semester unfolds.
Benchmark: S&P 500 / market performance
Professor • Investor • Educator
Dan
Ye
Ye
Meet Professor Dan Ye
Learn with an investor working at the intersection of technology and markets.
Dan Ye is an attorney, investor and educator who teaches at Johns Hopkins. His background includes founding Sinautec Automobile Technologies, an ultracapacitor-bus company, and the AI consulting company CollegeNode. He has appeared in media discussing artificial intelligence and education.
For the COTRUGLI Fall 2026 pilot, the course is designed around one practical goal: improve investment judgment and the ability to understand what is happening across finance and technology.
Johns Hopkins educatorTechnology entrepreneurAI & robotics policy experienceInvestor
Fall 2026
Eight sessions. One evolving portfolio.
Live sessions run every other Monday from August 31 through December 7, 2026. Each session connects a technology theme with practical investment thinking.
Aug 31
Tech Trends of the Next 10 YearsIntroduction and portfolio framing
Sep 14
Trading Strategy WorkshopInvestor frameworks and decision discipline
Sep 28
Quantum ComputersWhat becomes computable — and investable?
Oct 12
Blockchain TechnologyInfrastructure, applications and investment logic
Oct 26
Guest SpeakerMarket perspective and applied discussion
Nov 9
Bipedal RobotsAutomation, labor and the robotics supply chain
Nov 23
Energy Storage & Grid 2.0Infrastructure for the next energy system
Dec 7
BiotechFinal portfolio review and winners announced
Designed for COTRUGLI
Live enough to be dynamic. Flexible enough for working professionals.
The pilot combines live international teaching with asynchronous access through cotrugli.online for enrolled participants.
8 × 90 minLive sessions every other Monday.
Zoom + onlineLive delivery through Zoom / cotrugli.online.
RecordingsSessions can be divided into shorter lessons for enrolled participants.
Students + alumniNo finance background required in the existing lab model.
Awards: Top 3 performing participants may be eligible for additional weekly awards and real $10,000 investment to start own portfolio under rules confirmed by Professor Dan Ye. Exact COTRUGLI Fall 2026 eligibility and award structure will be published once confirmed.
FAQ
Before you join.
The essentials for the first COTRUGLI AI Investing Lab cohort.
Do I need a finance background?
No finance background is required in the existing lab format. Curiosity, critical thinking and a willingness to make decisions under uncertainty matter more.
Is the $100,000 real money?
No. Participants start with $100,000 in simulated capital through the portfolio competition environment.
Do I have to attend live?
Live participation is encouraged. Recordings can be divided into shorter lessons and retained on cotrugli.online for enrolled participants. Final completion rules are being confirmed.
Can I use AI tools?
Yes. The course explicitly encourages the use of AI tools in discussions and assignments, including sharing what was used and how effective it was.
How is performance measured?
Dan Ye’s existing course model benchmarks portfolio performance against the S&P 500. COTRUGLI is finalizing the exact academic assessment rules for the credit-bearing version.
Are there prizes?
Dan has discussed awards and investment opportunities for top performers. The exact COTRUGLI Fall 2026 structure and eligibility rules will be published once confirmed.
Who can join?
The working agreement welcomes COTRUGLI students and alumni. Final enrollment criteria will be stated on the registration page.
Don’t just read about the future. Build a portfolio for it.
Join the first COTRUGLI AI Investing Lab cohort before the opening session on August 31, 2026.
Join the Fall 2026 pilot →