100WF Hong Kong JumpStart University Investment Hackathon
Background:
The 100WF Hong Kong JumpStart University Investment Hackathon brought together female university students to participate in a stock picking challenge focused on the consumer sector. It simulated the role of an investment analyst, where students conducted research and presented their findings to portfolio managers. The competition simulated the real-world workflow of investment analysts, from researching and analyzing stocks to presenting conviction ideas to decision makers. The hackathon was part of the 100 Women in Finance Investment Hackathon initiative, with a focus on empowering young women aspiring to be finance professionals.
Website / Image URL:
https://ug.hkubs.hku.hk/competition/100wf-hong-kong-jumpstart-university-investment-hackathon
Award(s):
1st Runner Up
Awardees:
Ms. WIRAWAN Karen, BBA(BA), Year 2 (1st left)
Ms. TJANDRA Kezia Eugenie, BEcon&Fin, Year 2 (2nd right)
(2 other team members were students from The Bachelor of Engineering in Data Science and Engineering, HKU)
Students Sharing:
“The hands-on nature of this event provided an invaluable learning experience for our team. Through the experience, we particularly learned to be agile and adaptive in light of new data. During the one-on-one company meeting, we received updated information that requires us to revise our investment thesis and valuation model on The Fly. We thereby need to effectively synthesize the new details into our viewpoint and modify the rationale based on the latest developments, which actually mirrors the need to be nimble in the real-world financial market. Furthermore, the tight presentation timeframe really challenged our team to master concise, compelling storytelling. We had a comprehensive investment thesis discussion but could not cover everything, so learning how to deliver the pitch into a focused narrative arc was critical. We also had to visualize a lot of information into meaningful models and graphics to enhance presentation clarity. Due to this, we gained skills in emphasizing key turning points and bringing ideas to life through vivid models. Overall, this experience really strengthened our critical thinking skills to rapidly process information, recognize implications, visualize and organize information, as well as craft compelling narratives. I am truly grateful for this experience, and I am super excited for the ones coming in the future.”
(By TJANDRA Kezia Eugenie)
“This investment hackathon was truly an interesting event, as not only did we get the chance to refine our stock pitching skills, from conducting due diligence and financial modelling, but we were also able to partake in a real-life management meeting, duplicating a real-life situation as an investment analyst. That mock meeting was definitely a highlight as it felt so real trying to probe for more details while also defending our perspective.
When the breaking news hit during our strategy session, it really tested how well we could adapt on the spot. We faced so much pressure to pull together all the information into a powerful pitch within just 40 minutes. It was definitely an intense and valuable experience to present to and field questions of the judges in such pressing time. Most importantly, we learned so much on adaptive thinking, articulating an investment case, and working as a team under pressure. Nevertheless, this competition has definitely strengthened my interest in working in finance in the future and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in such an insightful event.”
(By WIRAWAN Karen)
