I am a results-driven, analytical and diligent individual, currently pursuing an honours in Economics & Mathematics at 捆绑SM社区. Interested in the intersection between data, finance and technology, with relevant experiences at American Express & Haball Private Ltd (B2B FinTech that specializes in agnostic payment solutions).
Aquantix AI, is a Tech-Startup that leverages AI, satellite and geographical data to forecast climate change risks to allow financial institutions to make more secure investment decisions. They are able to quantify the impact of these risks for different portfolios that a bank may have. The reason I wanted to intern at Aquantix was due to their effective leadership team, growth potential and the uniqueness of their product. These qualities were recognized when Aquantix won the Innovation Award from National Bank Canada earlier this summer.
At the moment, Aquantix AI is in the process of rebranding. This includes changing the name of the company to BlackSwan. I have currently been designing the website for this as well as completing the legal requirements behind this transition.
As an Operations Management Intern, I was responsible for a variety of tasks, including:
- Managing client relations, which included generating client related documents such as proposals, slide decks, mockups & excel sheets. I effectively utilized Tableau, VBA, pivot tables & multivariate regressions to create documents and data visualizations.
- Conducting and presenting market research to the team and asset managers. The topics of market research included TCFD, CDP, SASB, ESG and other business prospects.
- Writing a few algorithms on Python, that are currently deployed on their platform. These algorithms are able to forecast transition risks, energy and carbon prices, up to 2050.
- Constructing quarterly cash flow statements & forecasting EBITDA, revenue & profit were also part of my responsibility.
- Applying to a variety of (tax) credits, grants and funding. Due to this Aquantix has been placed into Desjardins In-Residence Accelerator program, starting on the 24th of August.
- Liaising with FinTech Cadence as Aquantix is part of their Endurance program. This meant engaging with Business Development, Legal, Marketing and VC coaches.
My main highlights of this internship include the fact that I was able to talk to and interact with a number of experienced professionals in a variety of financial institutions. Another main highlight is that I was able to onboard a client end-to-end, having given our clients the product on the 14th of August.
I will not be receiving credit for this internship, as it would have not counted towards my major. Despite this, I do believe this internship has helped provide excellent applications to my studies at 捆绑SM社区. I was able to learn the importance of Mathematics, Economics and Computer Science in the field of FinTech. What I found most interesting was the intersection between statistics and computer science, as I looked over their calculations for risk calculations.
The learning curve has been absolutely fantastic, as I have been able to develop both my soft and hard skills. Having done a number of presentations, I was able to build my confidence to present myself in front of anyone. Alongside this, the internship allowed me to work at a professional level and it was great to be able to see the industry standard for the quality of work. I have also been able to network among extremely talented and successful individuals in the fields of banking, insurance, FinTech, consulting and advisory. This will most likely help in future job applications.
I received $4500 CAD as funding for the internship by the AIO. The majority of the money was utilized in paying for living expenses such as rent, food & groceries. However, I also used some money to purchase a few ergonomic office items, which helped me adapt to a remote internship environment. I would like to thank the AIO for making this summer an excellent one, as I have been able to learn, network and gain valuable work experience in Canada.
I will be having conversations with the two Co-Founders of Aquantix AI, regarding a possible offer of employment upon graduation. This would be an absolutely fantastic achievement for me, and I shall inform the AIO if this does end up happening.
