Students Win GfK’s 10th Annual NextGen Data Science Hackathon Competition

Written by Hallie Huang

Edited by Andrea Escobar Vara and Jillian Munoz

April 7, 2021

     From March 22 - 31, three student teams from the Center for Customer Insights and Digital Marketing (CCIDM) and its affiliated programs, Customer Insights Consultancy (CIC) Program and the Analytics and Marketing Insights (AMI) Club, participated in GfK’s 10th Annual NextGen Data Science Hackathon Competition, which became international this year. The teams’ advisors were Dr. Jae Min Jung (Director of the CCIDM) and Dr. Randy Stein (CCIDM Advisor and CIC Program Collaborator). Out of all the teams – in the United States and abroad – 10 were selected as finalists, with Cal Poly Pomona’s teams placing 1st, runner-up, and finalist!

     Growth from Knowledge ( GfK ) is t he fourth largest global market research organization that leads with innovation and provides consumer and market insights through data and analytics. This year, as part of their annual competition, GfK asked undergraduate students to develop a new product or service that would enhance electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid technology. GfK provided various data sets to help participants identify unmet consumer needs, develop their innovative product/service, and create a marketing plan. Teams were judged on their data handling skills, analytic abilities, and business intelligence. 

     Each team had five minutes to present their innovative idea to a panel of expert judges from GfK, Team One, and Kia. The presentations were followed by a 5 minute Q&A session that tested students’ ability to address questions on the spot. "As a student, participating in these hackathons and outside experiences has certainly exposed and allowed me to understand and enrich what marketing research and jobs related to understanding consumer data will be like, an experience that is hard to come by in the daily school classes," stated Ion Upcycle’s member, Grant Chic .

     Ultimately, the judges awarded first place to team “Ion Upcycle,” consisting of team captain Jillian Munoz (Psychology major) , Patrick Ogaz (Computer Information Systems major) , Grant Chic (Marketing major) , Sebastian Hernandez (Marketing major) , and Andrea Escobar Vara (Marketing major). They proposed a service that recycles used batteries from Tesla cars into new HEV and PHEV batteries. The runner-up team, “ ElecTrak ,” consists of team captain Tarek Masri (Marketing major) , Nicholas Bias (Computer Information Systems major) , Mario Pinto Martinez (Marketing major) , Claire Son (Communications major) , and Joseph Lee (Computer Information Systems major) . This team proposed a product that allows EV battery charging while in motion. The finalist team, “roamEV,” consists of team captain Derek Suen (Marketing major) , Hallie Huang (Computer Information Systems major) , Elaine Oh (Marketing major) , Robert Tinti (Mechanical Engineer major) , and Vincent Torossian (Mechanical Engineer major) . They proposed an electric car-sharing service for users to rent out EV cars located at their apartment lots.

     Throughout the 10 days, the teams faced moments of doubt and difficulties. “Our idea was the most challenging aspect of the project. We had two directions, which was difficult because we did not want to choose the wrong one,” stated Patrick Ogaz , “This felt overwhelming; however, we realized it would be better to keep going and allow the data to show the path even if it wasn’t what we expected.” 

     The competition gave participants hands-on exposure with raw data sets to pull relevant insights and create a product or service to solve real-life consumer problems. “It shifted our school learning experiences to something that is applicable and made our work seem beneficial, not only to our knowledge but to the world as well,” stated Ion Upcycle’s team captain, Jillian Munoz . “Adding to that, we had current data from a renowned marketing agency, something that most students do not get to use and work with, which revealed insights with consumer preferences and also usages that differed from historical data given within school activities,” she continued. This experience was a great opportunity for participants to build upon their data integration and analysis skills in market research.

     This competition provides students with the opportunity to showcase their analysis skills and allows them to leave with a valuable experience that has impacted their future endeavors. “If anything, this competition made me want to further pursue a career in research. Witnessing how consumer insights and trends shape business decisions was a pleasure,“ stated roamEV’s team captain, Derek Suen , “Additionally, it made me more open to learning about industries I am not so comfortable with, in this case - electric automotive.” Tarek Masri adds, “ I wouldn't say this competition has changed my aspirations. Rather, it has heightened them. I am more prepared than ever for my future goals, and that is enough reason for me to expand them.” The graduating participants believe that this experience has provided them with insights into their career goals, while the other members from the CCIDM and AMI Club are looking forward to competing again next year. 

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