How Brainstack and robot_dreams are preparing a new generation of data analysts

Ukrainian multi-product company Brainstack, in collaboration with educational platform robot_dreams, conducted Data Camp — a five-day immersive program in data analytics for 24 students of the National Technical University of Ukraine. Participants worked on real business cases, presented data-driven recommendations, developed their portfolios, and the top performers received employment opportunities at Brainstack.

Why Businesses Invest in Youth Education

Modern IT companies face a paradox: the demand for data analysts is growing rapidly, yet finding qualified professionals is increasingly difficult. University graduates often have a solid theoretical foundation but lack the practical skills to handle real business tasks.

“You can be a guru in SQL or Python, and create dozens of visualizations in Tableau, but without understanding the underlying business need, those skills lose much of their value,” says Lyudmila Ryndich, Instructional Design Lead at robot_dreams.

That’s why more IT companies and large enterprises are launching hackathons, camps, and both offline and online programs to train future specialists themselves. It’s typically easier to grow talent tailored to company needs than to compete for it on the open market.

At the same time, educational initiatives strengthen employer branding and fulfil the company’s social mission.

“Such initiatives make the career path more conscious. They develop teamwork, immerse students in real data-driven scenarios, and help them decide whether analytics is truly their calling,” emphasizes Anna Shepeleva, Data Analyst Lead at Brainstack and a mentor at Data Camp.

The mission to give young people opportunities to work and build careers in Ukraine has become especially important. The COVID-19 pandemic and later the war disrupted offline learning and hindered students’ development of soft skills. Companies are now complementing traditional education with practical experience and real-world communication.

Brainstack Data Camp became a striking example of how a business can combine social responsibility with its own talent needs.

Inside Brainstack Data Camp

The camp’s structure was designed to mirror real workflows: up to 30% of the time was spent on theory, while the rest focused on casework in teams supported by practitioner mentors.

Students worked on real Brainstack products: an astrology service, a fitness app, and an AI photo editor. Each team received data in BigQuery and tackled complex tasks — from hypothesis building and data cleaning to visualizing key metrics (DAU, MAU, LTV, Retention) in Looker.

“While working on cases, students had to handle several streams at once: product data, marketing analytics, and even payments. This kind of experience builds systematic thinking — one of the most valuable traits for an analyst,” notes Ryndich.

The biggest challenge was dealing with the imperfection of real data.

“In real-world conditions, there are no ‘perfect datasets’ where insights lie on the surface. This forced students to understand that analytics is not only about tool knowledge but also about creativity, persistence, and the ability to test hypotheses,” comments Shepeleva.

Presentation skills were another focus. Students attended lectures on data visualization and dashboard storytelling, since calculations are important, but being able to explain them clearly to stakeholders is even more crucial.

“Many students asked for support specifically in interpreting results: how to read retention properly, how to draw conclusions from dashboards,” Shepeleva adds.

The intensive format radically changed participants’ approach to data. Five days of constant focus and hands-on practice accelerated growth, fostered healthy competition, and strengthened teamwork.

Opportunities and Growth Prospects

The success of Data Camp demonstrated the market’s readiness to invest in young talent. Half of the participants received interview invitations at Brainstack, and some are already at the offer stage. The company matches the strongest candidates to the most suitable projects.

Such full-scale product immersion is available not only at camps. For instance, robot_dreams students also work with real-life cases during their courses — from data exploration to presenting results in clear business language. This helps them not only master tools but also understand how a business analyst thinks.

Future data analysts should seek out corporate initiatives and hackathons while still studying, enroll in quality offline courses, build portfolios using open datasets, and develop networking through alumni and IT conferences.

For companies, the focus should be on training specialists for a quick entry into the profession. Investment in educational programs today ensures a stable talent pipeline for tomorrow. In a world where technology and business needs change almost monthly, the ability to adapt and learn quickly becomes the most valuable skill of all.