SMPL
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], September 29: Symbiosis Institute of Digital and Telecom Management (SIDTM), Pune, a constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University), hosted its national-level Hackathon'26 – “AI with Initiative: AI Makes the First Move” on September 4 and 5, 2026 at its Lavale Hilltop campus in Pune.
The two-day hackathon focused on the growing world of agentic AI systems designed not just to respond to instructions but to identify problems, make decisions independently. Students from across the country were challenged to turn this idea into working solutions for real-world, industry-inspired problems.
The competition saw strong interest, with 500+ registrations and 270 participants across 90 teams submitting entries in the first round. From these, nine teams comprising 27 participants were shortlisted for the offline finale at SIDTM.
In the first round, teams were given a case study and asked to present their proposed AI solution and prototype concept. The shortlisted teams then travelled to Pune for the finale, where they received more advanced case studies and spent the first day building and refining working prototypes.
What made the final round more challenging was a live, unscripted stress test. During presentations, the jury introduced unexpected complications to see how well each team’s solution could adapt and respond under pressure.
After the final evaluation, Team MetaMask from VIT Pune emerged as the winner. Team Strategy Minds from NMIMS Mumbai secured the first runner-up position, while Team Nexus 2 from SOIL Gurgaon was named second runner-up.
The finalists competed for a prize pool worth ₹1.5 lakh, which included ₹1 lakh worth of learning benefits from learning partner Trainocate Networks India Pvt. Ltd. These benefits included learning modules, certification courses, corporate training sessions and participation, finalist and merit certificates.
The nine finalist teams represented institutions including VIT Pune, NMIMS Mumbai, SOIL Gurgaon, SIMS, SIT Nagpur, MIT Pune and TiME Nagpur, bringing together students from different academic backgrounds and cities.
The final presentations were evaluated by an industry jury comprising Preetam Dey, Regional Sales Director, Salesforce; Vikas Mathur, VP Sales, Trainocate India; Jaidev Dutta, Partner, Deloitte; Sandeep KT, Senior Principal Consultant, Infosys Consulting; Harshal Pendse, Founder, Infimatrix; and Samarth Shrivastava, Partner, Deloitte.
Through Hackathon'26, SIDTM aimed to give students a platform to experiment with emerging technologies in a practical setting, while also encouraging them to think about how AI can solve business and industry problems more proactively.
The event also reflected SIDTM’s continued focus on bringing together technology, management education and industry exposure in ways that prepare students for a rapidly changing digital ecosystem.
About SIDTM Pune
Symbiosis Institute of Digital and Telecom Management (SIDTM), Pune, is a constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University). With a legacy of over 30 years, the institute has a network of 3,300+ alumni across 40+ countries and has maintained a 100% placement record of all the eligible students since inception. SIDTM is NAAC A++ and NBA accredited.
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