Developing the Next Generation of Finance Talent Through the Fusion of Data Science

The Innovation Challenge

AI in Bottom-Up Portfolio Construction. An exciting and innovative challenge centred around bottom-up portfolio construction using US publicly traded equities, Big Fundamental Data, alternative data, and cutting-edge Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques.

Evaluation Criteria

Teams will be assessed based on their innovative ideas, creativity of leveraging big data, technical proficiency and preliminary back-test results.

Scope of Innovation

Teams will leverage their creativity to select or develop alternative data sets and tailor ML/AI algorithms for portfolio construction.

Task

Create a portfolio of 50-70 stocks and make asset allocation decisions using Long Only, Long-Short, or Market-Neutral strategies.

Stages

Challenge Release
September 10^th, 2024

The challenge details will be sent to registered teams via email.

Submission of Reports/decks Deadline
October 3^rd, 2024

This is your chance to showcase your innovative concepts and get a head start on the competition.

Final Phase Participants Announcement
October 9^th, 2024

The finalists will come to Montreal for the 2-day Hack on October 23 and 24, 2024. During the 2-day hackathon, teams will receive a curated set of US publicly traded stocks and specific investment styles for portfolio management.

Academic advisors and industry coaches will provide expertise in alternative data utilization, ML/AI algorithm applications, and investable portfolio strategies.

Final Presentations and Prize Giving Ceremony
October 24^th, 2024

The culmination of the hackathon will take place on October 24^th, where each team will present their solutions. A panel of industry and academic judges will evaluate teams based on innovative strategies and ideas, and select three finalist teams.

The event will conclude with an exciting prize-giving ceremony from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm (EST). The winning teams will be announced and their success celebrated.