The ‘punk rock’ investor: Armina Rosenberg on footy, finance, and smashing stereotypes

Why investing isn’t just for math whizzes — and other myths Rosenberg wants to bust.

(Note: Some quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity).

When it comes to breaking barriers and making an impact, Armina "Arms" Rosenberg is no stranger to the game.

As a powerhouse in finance, she’s been paving the way for women, challenging the status quo, and proving that when it comes to the big numbers, she's the one setting the tone.

Rosenberg, 37, is co-founder and portfolio manager at Minotaur Capital, a hedge fund powered by AI. Before that she launched her career at JPMorgan as a research analyst in 2008 and later a fund manager for Atlassian's Mike Cannon-Brookes.

With International Women’s Day around the corner, I caught up with Rosenberg to hear about her journey, the lessons she’s learned, and the advice she has for women looking to carve out their own path.

From humble beginnings in Western Sydney to running her own AI-driven hedge fund, she’s got plenty to share — so let’s dive in.

Q: You've been dubbed the "punk rock" portfolio manager — tell me about that honorary title

Rosenberg: Haha it was given to me by the Australian Financial Review because I had pink hair at the time. To clarify, I’m not a musician and apart from being a fan of the odd Sex Pistols song, I’m not a punk rocker.

Q: Your journey into finance is anything but conventional. How did your early experiences growing up with a single mother shape your approach to money and investing?

My mother is the most innovative person in the world. We grew up poor in a housing commission estate in Wentworthville. We had a very old computer. I asked her if she would buy me a computer game to play. And she said she already had one and it was called Lotus 123. Lotus 123 is the predecessor program of Excel. So, she had me doing Excel tutorials as a ‘game’ and I became an excel spreadsheet whiz at the ripe age of 7!

The biggest lesson I learnt was to save and make sure we had enough to go round. My Mum did a great job with very little. But it also taught me I never wanted to be poor again.

A boyfriend of my Mum’s when I was 7 years old said to me, “You are poor, Armina, which means intellect has to be your currency. Be curious and constantly learn. That is how you will get ahead.” It was extremely sage advice.

Q: The world of finance can feel a bit male elitist, did you ever feel like an outsider?

All the time! I was almost the polar opposite of everything you would expect to see in that world — I grew up poor, I didn’t go to a private school, I was female, I was ethnic and brown-skinned.

Q: Of course, how did you navigate that?

People are not a fan of this advice but it has served me well. When you’re in a room filled with people who are really different to you, it’s ok to try and build rapport with them by finding commonalities. I don’t mean pretending to be something you’re not, but just playing to the aspects of yourself that you know will resonate.

For example, I'm an avid fan of Rugby League and the Parramatta Eels. I would talk footy all the time in that environment. I didn’t need to pretend to be interested — I am. I have unfortunately been a fan of the Eels my entire life — that means since 1987 and the last time they won a grand final was 1986.

Once you build rapport and find commonalities, then they will be more sympathetic to listening to you even if you want to call out how annoying it is that there aren’t more ethnic women in the room, which I do constantly!

Q: What was your defining moment when you realised you could not only break into finance but also kill it?

I think being able to land a job at JPMorgan. I was so nervous and very green. And JPMorgan was my dream bank – the biggest investment bank in the world with the best balance sheet and a global name that everyone knew instantly.

I was very lucky that JPMorgan took a chance on me. This happened not only in securing a job with them but then also they made me a ‘lead’ analyst, which meant they entrusted me with the ability to make my own buy and sell recommendations on stocks to big institutional clients, at the tender age of 25.

Q: What's the biggest misconception people have about being a successful fund manager or investor?

That it requires you to be super smart or good at numbers. I’m actually not a maths whiz. Yes I’m an Excel whiz but Excel does the maths for you!

The real art is higher order thinking — being able to understand what makes a company tick. What actually drives their revenue and earnings? What drives demand for their product? What things do they need to spend on to make that product amazing? Once you can answer those questions you unlock what sort of future earnings can be produced by a company and then can see if the market agrees with your perception of those earnings or not.

Q: Many women feel intimidated by investing. What advice would you give them?

Just get started. There’s a reason people say that compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world. The earlier you get into investing, the more your wealth will compound.

Also once you make your first investment, such as buying your first share, you become invested not just financially but also emotionally. That emotional investment will compel you to want to get educated on what you’re doing because you won’t want to lose the money. It’s a psychological impetus.

There’s a wealth of information out there and an abundance of tools. I really love podcasts and I highly recommend any of the Equity Mates series of podcasts which includes Equity Mates, In Good Company (which is particularly good for women just starting out) or Talk Money To Me, which are two powerhouse female financial advisors exploring a whole bunch of investing topics.

Q: If you could change one thing about the finance industry, what would it be?

The perception of it being inaccessible. I am living proof that it doesn’t matter what your background, your age, your skin colour, or your level of wealth is, the finance industry is a great career.

Q: What's the best financial lesson you've learned?

It’s about time in the market, not timing the market. You need to get set and then let that wealth grow. And although the scoreboard is transparent, that is, although you can look at stock prices every single minute of every single day, you shouldn’t. Just set and forget.

Q: Finally, any stocks we should be keeping an eye on in the year ahead?

I’ll give you one which is a little bit spicy — A Japanese V-tubing company!

We are bullish on the long-term prospects for COVER Corporation (5253 JP), a Japanese company at the forefront of digital entertainment through its VTuber talent management business.

The company has demonstrated extraordinary growth, scaling revenue from $1 million to $360 million in just 5 years. It offers an innovative blend of talent management, similar to the K-pop industry, and interesting character creation, like you see in the WWE.

Love it, thanks Armina!