Finance Career Hackathon
Arete x JHL Finance Career Hackathon
Build real career evidence before application season
Most hackathons are built for tech.
This one is for students targeting finance.
The Arete x JHL Finance Career Hackathon is a finance-focused challenge for students who want to do something meaningful this summer, build practical career evidence, and move closer to their target finance role before application season.
Instead of solving the same case as everyone else, selected participants will work on a personalised finance-related project based on their own background, strengths, gaps, and career direction.
✨Challenge Overview
Selected students will:
work on and complete a personalised finance-related project with support from the Arete platform
use the project to build on their strengths and improve the missing gaps for their target role
complete a short and practical project that can be done in 1–2 days, with around one week given to work on it properly
submit a 5-minute demo video
compete for a place in the final live demo pitch
The final 5 students will present their work in front of professionals with experience across PwC, Deloitte, TFS, Bloomberg, and other finance-related fields.
Finalists will receive practical feedback and compete for further career support, including CV and interview guidance. Winners or strong participants may also get access to potential job opportunities.
🎯Who should join?
This challenge is for students interested in finance-related careers, including:
Investment Banking
Investment Analyst roles
Venture Capital
M&A
Asset Management
Equity Research
Deals / Transaction Advisory
Other finance-related paths
You do not need to have a perfect finance CV.
This is for students who want to understand their gaps, build something concrete, and become more prepared before application season.
💻 How it works
1️⃣ Apply
Apply through this Luma page.
Applications are open until 13 June, but spots may close earlier because participation will be selective and limited.
2️⃣ Get selected
Selected participants will receive access to the hackathon, project instructions, submission details, and judging criteria.
3️⃣ Work on your project
Participants will work on their personalised finance-related project with support from the Arete platform for around one week.
4️⃣ Submit your demo video
Participants will submit a 5-minute demo video showing what they worked on, how they approached it, and how it connects to their target finance role.
5️⃣ Final demo pitch
We will shortlist 5 finalists to present live at the end of June.
Finalists will answer project-specific and finance-specific questions from the judges.
🏦 What you can gain
By joining, you can:
complete a finance-related project relevant to your own career direction
build something concrete for applications and interviews
receive practical feedback from people with finance industry experience
compete for further career support, including CV and interview guidance
gain meaningful experience before application season
🗓️ Timeline
Applications open: Now
Application deadline: 13 June
Project work period: Mid-June
Demo video submission: Mid/Late June
Final live demo pitch: End of June
Exact dates and instructions will be shared with selected participants.
About Arete
Arete is a personalized career upskilling platform helping students build the right skills, in the right way, for the career path that fits them.
About JHL
JHL supports students targeting finance careers through career consulting, application preparation, and finance-specific guidance.
About the Main Judge
Jason Lum will be the main judge for this hackathon.
He has worked across investment analysis, private equity, and deal advisory at CIBC, Deloitte, PwC, and TFS Investment Group. He is also an angel investor himself.
Through the hackathon, finalists will have the chance to receive direct feedback and career support from Jason.
Apply
If you are targeting finance and want to use this summer to move closer to your target role, apply for the Arete x JHL Finance Career Hackathon.
Spots are selective and limited.