Jacob
Small Cap Growth Fund

INVESTMENT PROCESS

The portfolio managers follow a three-step process to identify and monitor the Fund's investments:

FIND

The first step in our investment process is to narrow down the seemingly infinite universe of possibilities and to focus on what we feel are the most attractive opportunities. Accomplishing this step is no easy task. It requires countless hours of research - scouring the Web, reading analyst reports, running quantitative screens, attending conferences, speaking to executives - all in an attempt to find those relatively rare nuggets worth looking into more closely. Sometimes those nuggets are individual companies, and sometimes they are broader themes that can open up a wide range of potential investments.

FILTER

Once we find an intriguing investment idea, we then deploy a thorough qualitative and quantitative review process to determine if the opportunity is as attractive as it appears and can be had at a fair price. Very few of our ideas that we uncover end up being part of our concentrated portfolios.

Ideally, we are looking for companies that play in large markets in which there are significant barriers to entry, enjoy what we believe is a strong competitive position with growing market share, and boast capable management teams with proven track records. We want the companies to have unique assets - such as proprietary technologies or unusually loyal customers - with the possibility that positive near-term catalysts could drive the value of our investment higher.

If everything looks good qualitatively, we turn our focus to valuation. We evaluate many different quantitative criteria including cash flows, income statement and balance sheet items. We determine what a company is likely to generate in sales and profits for the coming years and then, using several different metrics, calculate a fair valuation based on those estimates.

Of course, we also consider the biggest risks to each company's outlook and gauge the likelihood that these potential pitfalls could derail the investment thesis.

FOLLOW-UP

Once we add an investment to one of our portfolios, we continue to monitor the position closely, making sure that our original analysis remains valid. We will often rebalance or potentially exit a position if the risk/reward ratio for the investment changes materially. We also conduct detailed portfolio reviews on a regular basis.

 

 

The Fund invests in smaller companies, which involve additional risks, such as limited liquidity and greater volatility. Investments in foreign securities involve greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks, and differences in accounting methods.

Cash flow measures the cash generating capability of a company by adding non-cash charges (e.g. depreciation) and interest expense to pretax income.