Students Partner With Alum at Kudu Investment Management on Data Analytics Project
Rob Jakacki ’89, CEO and co–chief investment officer of Kudu (center top) speaks to students in Kudu's NYC offices. Photo by Joe O'Neill.
Students explore firsthand what working in data analytics looks like in practice
by Tony Moore; video by Joe O'Neill
During the fall semester, a group of Dickinson data analytics students worked with New York–based Kudu Investment Management on a hands-on project designed to tackle a real business challenge: how to better identify and prioritize potential investment opportunities using data.
The collaboration brought together students, faculty and industry professionals in a semesterlong effort that mirrored the pace and expectations of professional analytics work. Supported by Kudu’s investment team, the partnership was sparked by Rob Jakacki ’89, CEO and co–chief investment officer of the firm.
“The idea was to start to develop a working relationship with the school, where interns could come in and we’d have project work for them to do, but at the same time they could help provide insights into how we might use data better,” Jakacki says. “This past year, we shifted away from the summer eight-week intern program to more of an ongoing working relationship through the Burgess [Institute for the Global Economy] program, taking it a step further and creating a more fluid working relationship with various student groups.”
From Classroom to Investment Strategy
The goal of the project was to help Kudu automate parts of its deal-sourcing process. Over the course of the semester, students built a multistage system that collected company data from public sources, analyzed unstructured text using natural language processing and produced a ranked list of potential opportunities for further review.
Students began by developing data pipelines that pulled information from sources such as public filings and financial news. They then applied analytical techniques to extract meaningful signals from that data, including keyword trends and sentiment indicators. The final phase focused on building a ranking framework that could help Kudu prioritize which companies merited closer attention.
“This was about as real as it can get. Students got to see firsthand what working in data analytics looks like in practice,” says Assistant Professor of Data Analytics Zach Kessler, who worked with Jakacki and the Burgess Institute to make the partnership happen. “They saw the impact of technical constraints and the messiness of real-world data, all with an eye toward satisfying a professional partner. So much we discuss in class—like design, interpretability, reproducibility and actual usage—revealed itself through the project.”
In addition to gaining experience, students received academic credit and stipends for their participation, fulfilling experiential learning requirements within the data analytics major. And that experience already has them looking to the future.
Collaboration Is King
“Working with Kudu gave insight into what work at an investment firm would be like as a data analyst,” says Charlie Baughan ’26 (quantitative economics, data analytics), noting that a highlight of the experience was collaborating with the Kudu team and providing tangible work that would help them. “It helped me gain insight into a career path that I was interested in before and allowed me to put on my resume tangible work that could help with future opportunities. It taught me that teamwork is the most important skill to have, and when you have the team working in unison on the same goal much more can be achieved than on your own.”
For Kudu, the project delivered both practical insights and a fresh perspective on how data could be better leveraged within a smaller investment firm.
“Data is a big part of our firm, like every other firm, and as a small company, it’s something we’ve just scratched the surface on in terms of understanding how to best utilize data and harness it,” says Jakacki. “The idea was to start to develop that working relationship with the school, where students could come in and we’d have project work for them to do, but at the same time they could help provide insights into how we might use data better.”
Looking Ahead
Both Dickinson faculty and Kudu representatives have expressed interest in continuing similar collaborations in the future. For Kessler, the project underscores the value of experiential learning within a data-driven field.
“Projects like this demonstrate how we crystalize lessons from the classroom into real-world impact,” he says. “It fundamentally shows why analytics matters and has to be done well.”
As for Jakacki, the experience reaffirmed the role alumni can play in shaping opportunities for current students.
“I remember being a senior at Dickinson and feeling like there weren’t enough real-world options available—that stuck with me,” he says. “So when I had the chance to help build those opportunities, I wanted to take it. If I can help create pathways that make the transition from college to career clearer for students today, that’s incredibly rewarding.”
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published February 4, 2026