The Entrepreneurship Cell (E-Cell) at IIIT Hyderabad recently hosted its flagship event, Megathon, marking yet another successful edition of Hyderabad’s largest student-run hackathon. The 24-hour coding marathon attracted over 400 students from 30 colleges and universities across Telangana, competing for a total prize pool of 4 Lakh INR. The event featured three distinct problem statements presented by industry stalwarts Qualcomm, KonnectNXT, and the Telangana State Government.
The opening ceremony on Day 1 set the stage, with Prof. Ramesh Loganathan, COO at CIE, sharing insights from his entrepreneurial journey. Student Tribe, Megathon’s student outreach partner, emphasised the importance of community building in fostering growth. Representatives from Qualcomm, KonnectNXT, CIE, and the Telangana State Government unveiled their respective problem statements, ranging from an LLM-based medical query system for edge devices to analysing candidate profiles using Machine Learning and psychometric tests, and a social challenge using satellite imagery data to track paddy cultivation. Teams eagerly selected their preferred problem statements, signalling the start of the 22-hour hacking phase.
Day 2 brought heightened anticipation as the submission deadline neared. Participants faced the initial round of judging through closed-room presentations, with the top 6 teams from each problem statement advancing to the next round. In the final round, 18 teams pitched their innovative solutions to a distinguished jury headed by Alok Madhukar, Managing Director of Goldman Sachs. The winners were revealed, with Team ‘Pandavas’ emerging victorious for KonnectNXT’s problem statement, Team ‘Pikachu’ claiming the top spot for Qualcomm’s challenge, and Team ‘Ligmoid’ securing the prize for the Telangana State Government’s social problem statement.
Megathon’23 concluded with a spirited prize distribution ceremony, acknowledging the exceptional solutions to the problem statements. A photo session featuring the triumphant teams and the E-Cell, IIIT Hyderabad organising team added a celebratory touch to the event. Megathon has solidified its status as one of E-Cell’s most anticipated events, offering more than just a coding competition. It provides a 24-hour immersion into creativity, collaboration, and entrepreneurship. Beyond the lines of code, Megathon serves as a dynamic platform for students to unleash their potential, collaborate with like-minded peers, and turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality. For the latest updates on E-Cell, IIIT Hyderabad’s activities, connect with them on Instagram and LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in the realm of entrepreneurship and innovation.
November 2023