FinValley 2.0 National Winner Pooja Bichile's Story
This competition seemed very challenging as it had two rounds with different problem statements that tested our mettle in the critical domain of Alternative Asset Management firms. It was exciting to know that the final round would be conducted at Indus Valley Partners' (IVP) head office at Noida in presence of their CEO Gurvinder Singh. And finally, the biggest enticement was the reward that each team member could win an Apple I-pad Pro along with a pre-placement interview at IVP. It felt like the gift that keeps giving!
The first round was a hands-on round, in which we were given exhaustive spreadsheet data and were supposed to apply 'Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management' concepts for coming up with the quantitative solution. At first what seemed daunting, progressively became interesting. We spent hours brainstorming about the approach, scratched our heads for crunching the data, revisited our textbooks and applied all our classroom concepts. Post the submission, five teams were selected from the campus for a Skype presentation on the solution.
The final round of FinValley 2.0 was a case study in which we had to provide technological solutions for three distinct problem areas such as (1) improving the operational efficiency through real-time payments & settlements, (2) usage of alternative data for seeking higher portfolio performance and (3) streamlining Over-the-counter, customized financial instruments like credit default swaps. We were methodical in our approach and distributed the three problem areas among the three of us. Each one of us conducted extensive secondary research, spoke to investment professionals, took guidance from our seniors and professors and discussed extensively the progress multiple times a day.
The presentation of the solution was as crucial as the solution itself. We spent hours on making an effective and top-notch presentation. Our approach of individually handling one problem area, helped us cover all dimensions of each of the proposed solutions which came handy during the Q&A in the final round. In retrospect, the most challenging phase was the final round of the case study as it involved proposing an implementable technological solution which had to be in sync with the purpose. We had to strike the right balance between theory and practice without falling prey to outlandish technology solutions.
Working in this team has been the most enriching collaborative experience! Conflicts, disagreements are inevitable when we work in teams. However, we were direct, clarified each other's doubts and reached a common consensus after constructive discussions. I would say that my team's forte is the love for challenges, thinking out of the box, thinking logically and being in it together. Also, all three of us were open to learning from each and from every resource at our disposal and that helped us to reach this far in the competition.
There were 4 finalists from IIM Indore, IIM Rohtak, IIM Shillong, and NMIMS. IIM Rohtak's team was our toughest competition as they were confident, well versed and also had a logical solution. They ended up being the Runners-up of FinValley 2.0.
The judgement quality was fair, transparent, encouraging and tested how actionable our solutions were. We were amazed to see the CEO asking us twisted questions, giving us his valuable insights and taking our ideas seriously. We loved the hospitality at the Noida head office and had the opportunity to interact with their leadership and experience their innovation-driven culture.
I have learned to adopt a multidimensional view of real-world business problems. Communication, time schedule, judgement quality and the commitment from the leadership were key factors in the success of this competition. Also, it is imperative to remain abreast with the latest technologies in order to provide actionable solutions. This competition has reinforced my belief in putting up sincere efforts and being open to learning from every little encounter and experience.
Right after the first campus presentation of the FinValley 2.0, the first sentence that my teammates and I exchanged was, "We are winning that iPad". And with that positive affirmation to ourselves, we dove right into it and did not rest until we really won it.