It is currently the fourth week of my internship program, and I am just about halfway through my summer in Stockholm. I would like time to slow down so I can enjoy more time here. It’s safe to say I am not looking forward to going back home at the end of July. My internship has been a mix of being rather challenging, very laid-back, while also being quite humbling. I have been tasked with one main project, with several smaller projects being asked of me while I have downtime between priorities. MyTelescope is a tech startup that operates a tool that takes search result data from platforms like Google, YouTube, Amazon, and Instagram to create a full-stack marketing experience for its users. It combines this data with other algorithms and marketing expertise so the tool can bring actionable insight to marketing teams. There are also many functionality features included in the tool. From the MyTelescope client, there is a chat function that allows users to interact directly with the data and gain further understanding of what is being presented to them, especially if they are not experienced with analyzing data. Users are able to create dashboards that find share of search data for brands in a market, follow trends, forecast through demand signals, and even analyze how a particular product is performing in the current market. My main project for this summer as a Finance & Data Intern is to develop use cases for CFOs and investment analysts. The team at MyTelescope has been quite successful at proving how the tool is useful to marketing teams, however, they have been having difficulty determining a way to prove to those in finance-related roles how it can be beneficial. This project has proven itself to be quite difficult as there is no clear answer or method to find an answer. I initially began researching industries that lend themselves to consumers searching for new products, or industries that move very quickly through cycles. My thought process was that an industry that moves incredibly quickly through trends would require a tool that could have instant access or faster access to information than their competitors. I began looking at media companies like Spotify and record labels due to how quick the music industry operates, especially when new songs or albums release. However, I quickly realized that many of these companies already track consumer sentiment and trends very closely. I pivoted my attention to airline companies because almost all consumers book flights online, and that search data could find trends with specific destinations or common routes. Using that information, one could determine which airlines operate those routes the most or the cheapest, to then determine the airline that is positioned the best to capitalize on the market trend. One of the most difficult aspects of this project is finding information on the processes coverage analysts use to conduct their research when rating stocks. From my standpoint, I need to find out if these analysts already have market data that MyTelescope can provide, or if there is large enough of an information gap from their perspective to make MyTelescope helpful enough to be desirable. Otherwise, it would be a rather useless case study. It is also incredibly challenging to determine a way to prove that this tool is helpful without having a direction to move in. Because this project is so open ended and without structure, I spent many hours researching information surrounding this topic without knowing what I was actually looking for. However, I was able to find a path thanks to suggestions from my coworkers. It is known what data analysts use to evaluate the inherent value of a stock because there is a standard way of completing a valuation of a company through a discounted cash flow or comparing multiples. However, it is not easy to find what data analysts have regarding market trends. This led to the second large issue which was getting in contact with professional coverage analysts. For almost two weeks, I spent most of my time emailing coverage analysts in a few different industries so I could gain insight to develop a use case. Unfortunately, many are incredibly busy with their own priorities and are not able to allocate time towards assisting with this project. Thankfully, after a few rejections, I was able to get a meeting with an analyst. My meeting was actually earlier today. I learned some valuable information that pointed me in the right direction, so I am now able to move forward with this project. I have already learned a lot of industry knowledge, not just marketing concepts but also finance topics through my extensive research. I have also learned how to move forward and find a path when you reach a bump in the road. Sometimes there isn’t an efficient route to an answer. It may take many different attempts and some luck, but it is always possible to move forward in one way or another. Although I feel as though I haven’t produced material for my coworkers just yet, I feel like I have already accomplished quite a lot. I’m excited to see where this project goes.
