Shourya Vir Jain - 360one

Shourya Vir Jain (EE3)

Domain: Product Development

Interned at 360one, Mumbai

Mode: Offline

Interviewed by: Prasoon Raj

Introduction

Hi, I am Shourya Vir Jain from EE3. I love playing chess, and I serve as the Institute's current Chess Captain and ex-Vice Captain. Additionally, I am an incoming McKinsey intern.

Motivation for Internship

Near the end of 2nd year, I still needed to set a concrete plan for a second-year internship. I returned to Bombay to spend time with my family but wasn't actively looking for an intern. I was planning to take the summer off and relax. I had already interned in the winter with the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) because I was interested in energy science then. The same applied to this internship—it happened to be in a sector that interested me, particularly AI/ML in finance.

I was working on a project with my friend through my 2nd year. We were building an AI-based data discoverability tool. While searching for product-market fit, we contacted various financial sector players. One was 360one, a wealth and asset management firm based in Bombay. As we were trying to pitch our product to them, the CTO liked our technology and invited us to integrate it into their system. That's how I ended up doing a two-month internship during the summer break. It wasn't pre-planned but was more of an opportunity that arose during our project work.

Experience: Work, Challenges and Learnings

I was part of the wealth technology team at 360one. We were given three open-ended problem statements focusing on building systems for their wealth spectrum operations.

One of the projects involved creating a recommendation engine to help 360one expand its network of distributors for its mutual funds. We analysed their data and built this engine over two months. Another project was a data discoverability tool to help fund managers find relevant insights from internal research and reports. The last was building retrospective customer service analytics using a massive corpus of ticket data. 

Challenges

It was challenging at times, but the environment was supportive. We had regular touchpoints with the VPs and some senior managers, who were exceptionally helpful when we needed advice or feedback. The entrepreneurial spirit of the place helped us think on our feet and adapt quickly. The responsibility was huge; it was more than just regular intern tasks. We were given problem statements that had real implications for the company, and that responsibility made us push ourselves further. We reported directly to the CTO; she was a bustling absolute powerhouse. But because of her schedule, she wasn't always available for daily check-ins or detailed guidance. This was both a boon and a bane.

On the one hand, it gave us a lot of freedom. We enjoyed the freedom of not reporting every day to anyone. Of course, that came with its challenges—especially ensuring that the work was up to the standards expected by the top brass.

Learnings I had planned to sit for a third-year internship. By the middle of the internship, it became clear, especially after interacting with many professionals, that I wanted to go in the consulting direction. Even though I had choices in Tech and other streams, the experience at 360one and the stories from the people I worked with were impactful and helped shape my decision. It made me realise the importance of adaptability and managing high expectations, especially in environments where you're given freedom but are also expected to deliver impactful results. It also gave me insights into how data is handled in large corporations, particularly in privacy and security, which are vital in consulting and Tech. I think these lessons helped shape how I approached the internship process in my third year, knowing I wanted to be in roles that challenged me and allowed for strategic input.

Why jump from Tech to Consult?

That's an exciting story. I've been coding and doing tech development since the 11th or 12th grade—hackathons, building products, coding full-scale projects. By the time I reached my third year, I had already built and sold a product, so I felt I already had a decent flavour of software tech. It started with the experience of building a GenAI-based research tool for the research ecosystem. My friend and I spent three months working on it, winning hackathons, and securing grants, but when we pitched it to actual professors, we were shot down with the justification, ‘That’s not how actual research works’. During this time, I learned an important lesson: Knowing your consumer's needs before building anything is crucial. It was a three-month period filled with relentless commitment and hard work, prompting a reassessment of my problem-solving strategies. That's when consulting started to appeal to me. 

Consulting, I realised, teaches you to ask the right questions, understand user needs, and identify actual market problems. I was attracted to that broader perspective instead of the linear depth of tech development.

Consulting provides a wide-angle view of industries, which helps identify real-world problems. I also had excellent mentors at 360one that showed me the power of consulting—grit, strategy, and leadership. The brand value of consulting firms is something we often undervalue. Much like IIT Delhi opens doors in certain situations, consulting firms carry significant weight regarding career progression. They provide opportunities like deferred MBAs and international exposure, which appealed to me.

Also, My personality aligns more with a front-end role where I talk to people and manage communication. It's a skill I wanted to develop more than coding, which I was already good at. I focused on honing my interpersonal and problem-solving skills, and consulting seemed the perfect fit.

Key Takeaway & Advice

The biggest reason 99% of students from IIT Delhi don't land an internship in their second year is that they're afraid to reach out. They fear sending that email or message and then facing rejection. But honestly, every opportunity I've had so far began as a shot in the dark.

There was no concrete reason why I should have been selected for these roles. More qualified people were out there, but the critical difference was that I reached out. Many juniors hesitate to contact companies, whether for an internship or a research project. But at the end of the day, you're from IIT Delhi. You should have that baseline confidence in yourself, knowing you can learn on the job. Even if you still need to get all the skills upfront, it doesn't matter. What's more important is that you shoot your shot.

Once you get an opportunity, go in confidently, learn like crazy, work 12-15 hours daily if needed, and push yourself. There's nothing you can't know if you're committed. 

Another advice would be to feel free to leverage your network. Whether reaching out to alumni on LinkedIn or using personal connections, it's all part of the game. If your relative knows someone who can help you land an internship, don't feel ashamed to use that connection. It's just as valid a way to get an internship as any other method.

One more thing – learn how to tell your story. When you're sending out those cold emails, be unique. A well-crafted cold email can make all the difference. Many resources online, like YouTube, can teach you how to write an effective email. And trust me, coming from IIT Delhi, you'll get responses if you reach out enough. It's a numbers game – send 50 emails, you'll get one response, and that's all you need to land a great offer.

Lastly, apply to roles you're genuinely interested in. Don't just apply for the sake of applying.