MSc Big Data and Business Analytics Hackathon 2024
Students challenged by leading companies

Five leading companies (Catalina, Écologie Logistique, Ekimetrics, Numberly, and Square Management—Square Research Center), in partnership with ESCP Business School, challenged the students of the MSc Big Data and Business Analytics to an intensive one-week hackathon!

From 11 to 15 March, the students took on four challenges, with topics such as responsible AI, AI for marketing, AI for road traffic management and AI for finance risk measurement.

After four days of taking on the challenges, students pitched their ideas in front of a jury consisting of company representatives and ESCP professors.

Students collaborated to solve diverse data and media problems. This allowed them to showcase the technical and business skills developed throughout their time in the MSc in Big Data and Business Analytics.

The five companies guided students in this challenge in a real startup fashion, frequently meeting to stimulate new ideas for their challenges and reviewing the work in progress to improve the drafts.

These challenges required some coding skills (Python/R) to apply machine learning techniques, as well as develop creative ideas leveraging new technologies such as the usage of large language models and network optimisation.

ESCP Business School Students, Hackathon 2024

Five challenges were proposed

Catalina:
New purchasing paths/touchpoints in supermarkets for more efficient promotion

Propose a data-driven approach for the purchasing behaviour.

Propose innovative touchpoints and demonstrate the related cost/benefit.

Écologie Logistique:
Road traffic in-depth analysis at the city of Saint-Cyr l’École

Build a prediction model for the main hotspots of the city.

Anticipatory analysis of the impact of the new ZAC Pion.

Ekimetrics:
Responsible AI in recruitment processes

Identify and mitigate biases.

Introduce fairness in machine learning and demonstrate the related cost/benefit.

Numberly:
Revamping customer engagement

Crafting a Data-Driven approach for existing clientele.

Define and measure/predict customer value by identifying and calculating the discriminating variables / KPIs.

Square Management (Square Research Center):
Application of the atRisk methodology to improve forecasting models

Enable more complete information and encourage a more forward-looking approach to risk management.

A simple and robust way of considering the uncertainty surrounding forecasts.

A photo of students presenting their project during the Hackaton 2024

Winning Teams

Square Management (Square Research Center)

  • Winners: Hang Hou Cheong, Andrey Dolgopolov, Panagiotis Klempetsanis, Jonatan Spohn, Francesca Vinattieri

Our project focused on a Microeconomic At-Risk Analysis within the clean energy sector, emphasizing the intricacies of market dynamics, consumer behavior, and firm strategies in this rapidly evolving industry. Through comparative analysis of key players, we uncovered vital insights into risk mitigation and sustainable growth pathways. This victory at the ESCP Business School data Hackathon is a testament to our team's expertise in navigating the complex economic landscape of clean energy. Our findings not only highlight the sector's potential but also chart a course for future innovation and resilience.

Francesca Vinattieri
Student

Ekimetrics

  • Winners: Jadesola Akinola, Salome Bloch, Maria Denisa Ciucur, Michael Hegarty, Sara Mourtada

Catalina

  • Winners: Hashir Ahmad, Nadim Almasri, Julian Enciso, Palak Gupta, Rishabh Rajput, Benjamin Ruppert

Numberly

  • Winners: Yen Ying Chen, Ziqi Li, Jieyuan Liu, Julie Requillart, Prerna Sharma

Écologie Logistique

  • Winners: Celeste Combeau, Paulina Lara, Valentin Paris, Andres Felipe, Quintanilla Mayorga, Benjamin Sidler

The hackathon was an opportunity to put into practice what we have been studying for the past few months as well as a unique chance to challenge ourselves and develop a business idea from scratch. With my group, we developed a project for Écologie Logistique whose purpose was to understand how much the development of a new neighborhood near Saint Cyr l'École goes to impact traffic on the city's major roads. A truly enriching experience, it was great to share good times with my teammates and receive positive feedback from the company. Overall, all groups came up with well-developed projects in line with the key principles of our Msc programme.

Camila Conti
Student

Companies’ Testimonials

Submitting 80 million mobility records to ESCP students to simulate the impact of implementing a new neighborhood was a great experience. 4 groups, 4 different approaches calling on their skills, their reflections and collective work. I will remember their seriousness and their concern to popularize their mathematical approach to explain their deliverables. Congratulations to them.

Éric Petit
Écologie Logistique

Working with students as motivated as those from the ESCP in the context of this hackathon has been a particularly fruitful experience for both of us. Much more than just a mere supervision, it was an enriching exchange with the students, who also brought us a lot!! See you next year to repeat the experience!

Guillaume Flament
and Romain Schweizer

Square Research Center

Campus