How We Cracked The Code: Amazon Ace Runners Up From IIM Shillong Share Their Approach

Talking about the experience, there was a moment when my brain froze right before the submission deadline. We felt so helpless that I almost gave up. I remember my teammate Akash pushing us to keep it together and focus for just the next 20 minutes until the submission. The secret sauce was completed when at the final moment my other teammate Sugandhi showed off his MS Excel prowess, churning out data at astonishing speeds.

On the day of the presentation, we knew that confidence was going to be the key. Presenting in front of judges on national TV was a turning point for me. I don’t know where all my stage fright vanished. Maybe because we had worked so hard for it that we felt powerful, confident and proud. We delivered our solution with a conviction that it was the best one possible, which gave us an edge while tackling the questions put forward by the judges.

When the results were being announced, my heart was in my mouth. There was a point where I even thought of slipping behind the hoarding for a speedy exit! When the judges called out our team’s name, I stood in utter disbelief. We had worked so hard, we were so confident, and yet we couldn’t believe it when the results were announced.

Looking back, participating in Amazon Ace gave us a huge opportunity to learn by allowing us to work on a real industry problem that required us to use all the concepts learned in class and pushed us to go beyond. The experience of connecting with participants from across the country and Amazon’s business leaders will be one that will stay with us for life.