How a Young University Student From Kenya Beat 80,000 Tech Contestants From 142 Countries.

A 22-year-old Kenyan student has made history after finishing among the top three in one of the world’s most competitive tech contests.

John Tingoi, a fourth-year Computer Science student at Chuka University, stunned the global stage by securing third place out of more than 80,000 participants from 142 countries in the 2025 International Quant Championship (IQC) held in Singapore.

The prestigious competition, organized by WorldQuant, challenges participants to create quantitative trading strategies using advanced mathematics, algorithms, and statistical models — tools used by top hedge funds and financial analysts across the world.

John’s innovative approach and analytical skills saw him tie for the global second runner-up position, earning a $7,000 prize (about Ksh 906,000). More importantly, he became the top-ranked Kenyan competitor, a first for the country since the championship began.

Speaking after his win, John said the recognition was the result of months of intense work and late nights spent fine-tuning his models.

“It’s an incredible feeling to represent Kenya and show that our universities can produce world-class talent,” he said.

His achievement has drawn widespread praise from students, lecturers, and Kenyans online, many calling him a symbol of hope for the country’s young tech innovators.

The International Quant Championship has become a major global platform for discovering new minds in data science and quantitative finance — and this year, Kenya proudly took its place on that list thanks to John Tingoi.

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