Connor Swaim 19 pitched BlackRock to the Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) on April 8, 2019. Founded in 1988, BlackRock focuses on risk management systems and passive management. BlackRock’s mission is to create a better financial future for their clients. With $6 trillion in assets under management across 100 countries, BlackRock has formed itself into the largest asset management firm in the world. The company focuses on their clients by creating personalized portfolios based on several different factors. BlackRock has been the largest asset management firm since 2009 when they acquired iShares from Barclays. In the first quarter of 2019, BlackRock reached above $6 trillion in assets under management again with higher than expect EPS and higher revenue than expected. The majority of BlackRock’s revenue is generated from their Investment Advisory, Administration Fees, and Securities Lending. This represents 81% of their total revenue. BlackRock is strongly positioned to continue growing and return value to its shareholders.