Finance interns shine in spotlight

"The internship provided us an opportunity to learn about different business paths as part of a large financial platform," he says. "I've made many new friends through the show, and I've learned a lot from all my mentors."

The experience reinforced Su's desire to work in the investment industry. Wishing to combine such a career with his background in engineering, he is keen to find companies with the potential to make a difference.

"You can talk to people about their products, future or how to change the world. It feels like you are part of something cool," Su says.

On the 2020 Forbes Midas List, an annual ranking by Forbes magazine of the best deal makers in high-tech and life science venture capital, 22 of the top 100 investors are from China.

Qin Qin, one of the mentors who specializes in equity investment, says the reason that the list includes many Chinese investors is because, from the demand side, China has over 1 billion people and millions of entrepreneurial companies; and from the supply side, the Chinese venture capital investors are diligent and smart.

"It's the best time for entrepreneurship and also the best time for investment," she says.

Each of the four mentors, who are from different business fields, has worked for over a decade. They can understand the feelings of the interns and the difficulties they face, Bai says.

"Each of them has their own specialty. For example, Zhang Jiqiang manages a healthy lifestyle and gets to sleep at 11 pm despite an intense working schedule. Yu Wanting is vigorous and resolute who works hard and plays hard," Bai says. "They may remind the audience of someone they have met or hope to meet at work," she says.

Bai thinks the graduates from top universities are more competitive in the job market, and solid internship experience is also a plus. Candidates with multidisciplinary backgrounds are more favored by employers, she adds.

"Even though the audience sees the nine interns' process of competing for an offer, we want all students with a passion in finance to see themselves in the show and find their position in this industry. No matter which university they come from or which company they are working for, each one can be the shining one," Bai says.