News5 February 2026
On Monday, our students were set a massive task: to invest a virtual $1 million budget across five major companies. Over three intensive days, they had to build a strategic portfolio and present their final allocation to the experts at Bank of America.
Day 1
We began at the Bank of America headquarters with a powerful keynote from Fernando Vicario, International CEO for BofA, who set the tone for the week. This was followed by an introduction from Richard Carreau-Floume, who has been a key partner to Ada for the last three years of industry projects.
He left the students with a powerful reminder of why these industry collaborations are so important:
Your ideas are going to transform our world of technology.
With that motivation in mind, the learners launched straight into a fast-paced Trading Simulation Game to demonstrate how the trading floor works. Each team started with a hypothetical £100, reacting in real-time to “breaking news” events to decide whether to buy, hold, or sell. It was a masterclass in market volatility led by Anastasia Psatha.
Following the simulation, learners split into 2 separate groups for expert-led workshops:
Developers observed live programming simulations whilst the Analysts dove into the mechanics of business strategy and risk management.
By the afternoon, they were ready to work on the real challenge: Teams were handed a (virtual) $1 million budget to invest across five major companies. They spent the remainder of the day huddled in their teams, analyzing historical data to build a portfolio capable of winning over the judges.
Day 2
With the foundations laid, Day 2 was all about the “why” behind the numbers. We were back on campus at Ada, joined by a fantastic group of Bank of America volunteers who mentored our teams throughout the day.
The volunteers provided invaluable support, helping learners move past the spreadsheets to finalize their portfolios and crucially, build the confidence to present their logic.
Day 3
The final day took us back to the Bank of America offices for the final pitches.
Before the presentations began, our students attended an insightful session on Bank of America’s apprenticeship programmes. They learned about the ongoing Apprenticeship partnership between BofA and Ada, getting firsthand tips on the application process and what employers are looking for in interviews.
Following this, each group were given a 5 minute slot to deliver their presentation to a panel of judges, followed by a high-pressure Q&A session. Judges weren’t just looking for stock picks; they were scoring teams on:
- Data Cleaning: How they handled and refined their raw data.
- Due Diligence: The depth of their research into the five companies.
- Investment Decisions: The logic behind their $1 million allocation.
- Teamwork: How well they collaborated under pressure.
After a tough first round, the top four teams were selected to present to a senior panel of judges and the entire room!
The level of talent, preparation and confidence on display was incredible, making the final decision a difficult one for the judges. In the end, the overall winners were Group 9, awarded with a tote bag full of merch and a week of work experience at the Bank! When asked, Jakob, one of the students in Group 9 said that his biggest takeaway from the 3-day Industry project was:
As a team, we can work together and accomplish things that I couldn’t do by myself. I’ve gotten to know so many people from my year group that I never would’ve been able to talk to otherwise because of this project.
Richard Carreau-Floume left the students with one final, powerful thought to take home:
When I look at this room, all I see is the future
This week proved once again that while technical skills are the foundation, it’s the ability to work together and communicate ideas that truly transforms students into digital leaders.
Read more about our industry projects and collaborations here and follow us on social media to see photos and videos from the event.