America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 331 Making Money

Ernst's speech was a success, even a sensation.

Although recording was strictly prohibited on site, the human capacity for language communication was stimulated to its fullest extent at this moment. The students were like a group of enthusiastic fans who had just listened to a pyramid scheme meeting, repeating Ernst's speech to everyone they met. From his accurate prediction of the future of the Internet to his encouragement for young people to start their own businesses, every word was repeatedly chewed over.

In less than a day, his speech spread throughout the USC campus and began to extend beyond the campus.

I spent an afternoon with the old man Levins, mainly discussing the newly established Ernst NUC support fund.

From the fund's articles of association and detailed rules, such as the application threshold and review process for funds, to the formation of the fund management team, every detail was scrutinized repeatedly.

In addition, USC's investment plan for computer science became a key topic. Levins showed Ernst the school's future plans, from building new computer labs to recruiting top professors, all of which reflected his expectations for the future of USC's computer science program.

"That's quite a generous gesture!" Just as Ernst stepped out of Levins's office building, a languid and alluring female voice drifted into his ears.

The voice was like silk gently brushing against the heart, carrying a subtle hint of seduction. Just by listening to the voice, one could imagine that the speaker must be a woman of great charm.

"I never imagined that the junior who used to follow me around in school would now be someone that all Americans look up to."

Ernst turned his head at the sound and was drawn to Anren not far away in the light.

She was a beautiful and voluptuous young woman. A well-tailored red dress accentuated her shapely figure, and the length of the skirt was just right, revealing a pair of fair and slender legs. She wore a pair of high heels, exuding elegance and confidence.

Her features were exquisite, like a meticulously sculpted work of art. Her peach blossom eyes were slightly upturned, and her gaze was full of alluring charm, as if she could steal one's soul.

Her golden curly hair was casually draped over her shoulders, the sunlight shining on it and giving it a soft sheen.

Ernst immediately recognized her: Kretty, his senior from his time at USC.

"Senior Christy, it's a pleasure to see you again," Ernst said with a smile.

If Linda is the white moonlight in the hearts of many boys on the USC campus, then Christy in Ernst's year was the cinnabar mole that all men dreamed of, the object of countless secret crushes, and the one they wanted to spend the night with, Ernst was no exception.

Her beauty, her family background, and her abilities are unparalleled among women, even in the entire United States.

However, that applies to everyone else, but Ernst is an exception in his current situation.

In his eyes, this woman was like a blooming poisonous rose, beautiful on the outside but harboring deadly poison in her heart. Her venomousness was no less than that of the most notorious poisonous women in history.

Because her last name is Madoff, Madoff of Bernard Madoff.

Her father was Bernard Madoff, the influential figure on Wall Street with countless accolades.

He served three terms as Chairman of Nasdaq, Chairman of the National Association of Securities Dealers, and Chairman of the International Clearing House.

He holds numerous important positions, including Chairman of the SIA Trading Committee and Chairman of the National Business Conduct Committee. Any one of these titles commands respect, and more than half of them are backed by the government or state agencies. In the eyes of ordinary people, he is a legendary figure in the Wall Street securities industry.

Who would have thought that such a seemingly glamorous and influential figure was the mastermind behind the most notorious Ponzi scheme in American history, which ruined countless people? Catherine was one of the direct beneficiaries and participants in this scheme.

Clementine was clearly unaware of Ernst's inner turmoil. She slowly walked to Ernst's side, each step swaying gracefully and exuding charm.

Her figure is voluptuous but not bulky. Even when she wears a dress, you can see that there are firm muscles hidden under her delicate fat. This is definitely the result of regular exercise. After all, it is difficult for ordinary people to maintain such a symmetrical figure while being voluptuous.

Standing in front of Ernst, there was no need to deliberately bend down; the cleavage at her neckline was perfectly displayed before Ernst's eyes, full and upright, and she didn't tremble when she walked.

If it were a man, with such muscle definition, his pectoral muscles would definitely be very well-developed.

"Is it just happiness?" Kretie's voice carried a hint of coquetry, and her eyes became even more alluring, as if she wanted to suck Ernst into her entire being.

She leaned gently towards Ernst, her arm casually resting on his, the soft touch instantly washing over her.

"It's so late, I think it's a gentleman's most basic duty to treat someone to dinner," Christy said, blinking her eyes, her tone carrying an invitation that brooked no refusal.

"Of course." Ernst chuckled inwardly; he had plenty of time to play around with this beautiful senior.

What's more, the original owner was deeply in love with Clementine back then. Now that he has taken over this body, he doesn't mind helping the original owner fulfill a wish: carrying the legs of this former campus goddess on his shoulders.

"It's my honor to have you grace me with your presence, Senior Christy."

Ernst admitted he was wrong. Judging from the suppleness of his arms, the muscles didn't seem overly developed, but how could they be so firm?

But he liked it, especially when the other person squeezed him inadvertently, making him feel like his whole arm was sinking into it, which felt really good.

The two found a restaurant that looked very stylish. The restaurant's decor was retro, and the warm yellow lighting created a cozy and romantic atmosphere. Melodious jazz music flowed in the air, making it a perfect place for couples to go on a date.

Ernst casually ordered a few of the restaurant's signature dishes, while Christy absentmindedly flipped through the menu a few times before putting it down; clearly, her mind wasn't on the food at all.

She picked up the water glass on the table, took a small sip, and then gently flicked the rim of the glass with her fingers, her eyes fixed on Ernst.

She gently brushed the hair that fell beside her cheek behind her ear. This simple action, when she did it, was full of fatal allure. Every look, every movement, seemed to be seducing people, making them feel an urge to burst forth with desire.

It has to be said that this woman is very good at using her advantages. She knows exactly what men like and knows how to arouse their interest with the smallest actions.

"Your speech on stage today was truly awe-inspiring." Christy put down her water glass, leaned forward slightly to get closer to Ernst, and said with intense admiration, "I can hardly believe it, you are completely different from when you were at USC."

"Are you here today too?" Ernst was a little surprised. He had paid special attention to the guests in the first row during his speech. After all, given Christy's status and family background, she should have been sitting in the first row. But after thinking about it carefully, he couldn't remember her at all.

"I joined midway through," Kredie smiled, her eyes sparkling. "There were so many people there, so I found a corner seat and stood to listen to your entire speech. I must say, it was a truly insightful and enriching presentation. Every point you made was insightful, and I couldn't help but applaud you."

"What a generous gesture!" Kretie's eyes shone with adoration, a radiance so intense that even a blind person could see it.

"A $200 million startup support fund in one go—even Bill Gates probably doesn't have such a generous gesture across the entire United States, does he?"

Bill Gates certainly wouldn't do that, not because he couldn't afford two hundred million dollars, but because he simply didn't need to.

Why was this fund established in partnership with USC, allowing USC to benefit from it for no reason?

It's because it can be transformed into a campus investment fund.

What is a campus?

That means the school can use all its resources to support them. For example, if a startup team needs office space, the school can provide vacant offices on campus free of charge. If they need hardware or software equipment, the school's laboratory equipment can be given priority for their use.

In terms of funding, the school will even provide additional support to these entrepreneurial projects through campus donations and other means.

These resources are a godsend for startup teams, saving them a significant amount of money.

The most crucial point is that as long as these startups remain on campus, even if they have already started operating, the U.S. government cannot tax them.

Tax issues only arise when a company grows to a certain size and needs to establish its headquarters off-campus and recruit talent from outside the USC campus.

Therefore, for entrepreneurs, having a campus affiliation offers countless advantages.

For investors, investing in campus projects is also more secure, since they have the support of school resources, and these projects obviously have greater development potential than ordinary startups.

Moreover, for typical campus startup projects, angel round investment of only $100,000 to $200,000 is enough to obtain a decent equity stake. $200 million is indeed a huge sum for campus investment funds, and under normal circumstances, they would not be able to use it all.

So even if Bill Gates did that, he wouldn't come up with two hundred million dollars; it really wouldn't be necessary.

Why did Ernst invest so much money all at once? It was entirely because he was living in a special era, an era where the internet industry was full of gold, and you could make money just by picking things up.

He was well aware that the internet industry would experience explosive growth in the next few years, and a simple app could potentially be valued at millions of dollars, creating overnight fortunes.

USC itself plans to increase its investment in the computer industry, and with the encouragement of this prominent alumnus, students' entrepreneurial enthusiasm will surely be ignited.

At that time, a large number of entrepreneurial teams will emerge on campus, and everyone will think that starting a business is a simple and profitable thing, and then they will join this entrepreneurial army without prior arrangement.

These entrepreneurs can use the startup funding provided by the Ernst NUC support fund to create a simple product prototype and then raise millions of dollars in the investment market.

In this era of internet frenzy, capital is frantically chasing internet projects. As long as you're even remotely connected to the internet, it's easy to gain favor with investors.

Ernst used this broad approach to select valuable, high-quality projects and then firmly grasped them in his own hands.

As for those projects that have no real value and are just hype and empty promises, he will use financial market derivatives to package and sell all the equity of these projects, guaranteeing a tenfold return.

The $200 million may seem to be supporting USC students, but its main purpose is actually to raise funds.

Through these enthusiastic students, they continuously pocket the idle funds in the market.

Clementine was clearly unaware of Ernst's true intentions. She was still marveling at Ernst's extravagant gesture, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement, and her underwear was probably even wet.

She picked up her wine glass and gently touched Ernst's glass to the glass, the crisp sound echoing clearly in the quiet restaurant.

"Ernst, to be honest, I'm really curious now, what are your plans next?"

Ernst picked up his wine glass, took a small sip of red wine, and smiled slightly. "Plans? There are still many."

He glanced around at the other guests. "But this is clearly not the place to talk about these things."

>

C