where India
builds what's next

hackFront India is a 20-week innovation league spanning 5 cities and 8 frontiers. Six weeks of structured mentorship. A 30 hour national hackathon. An outcomes pipeline that routes top builders to jobs, internships, and incubation seats. A production pilot at the finish line, not a participation certificate.

hackFront India — An initiative of Where U Elevate

Backed by India's best.

Sponsors

Neo4j
Track Partner
Telio Labs
Track Partner
Arduino
Hardware Partner
Sarvam AI
AI Partner

Collaborators

CCoE DSCI
Industry Partner
CoE AWRDS
Knowledge Partner
AI Konekt
Media Partner
Launch Event · June 13, 2026 · Concluded

hackFront India
Leadership Forum

Building Bharat's Innovation Decade. A National Dialogue on Talent, Technology and Entrepreneurship.

A closed-door national dialogue at the Constitution Club of India. Members of Parliament, Vice Chancellors, CXOs, government officials, and startup founders gathered in one room to shape the agenda for India's builder decade. The conversation that started hackFront India.

Who was in the room
🏢Industry
🎓Academia
🚀Startups
🏛️Government
View the forum and guests→
Guests of Honour on stage · Constitution Club of IndiaMoments from the Leadership ForumConversations that shaped hackFront India
Archive Frame // 01 / 03
Guests of Honour on stage · Constitution Club of India
Voice Impact
20+
Distinguished Voices
Ecosystem Depth
20+
Organisations Represented
Venue
Constitution Club of India
New Delhi

hackFront India

This isn't a hackathon. It's a season.

Twenty weeks across five cities. Four phases that compound on each other, with outcomes built into every stage. You enter as a student. You leave as a builder with proof of what you delivered and a pathway for what comes next.

Designed to deploy talent.

01

Calibrate

Four weeks of cohort mentorship built around real industry briefs. You arrive at the hackathon prepared, not guessing.

02

Build

A 30 hour in-person hackathon across 5 cities. Real problem statements, judged by the companies that wrote them.

03

Incubate

Top teams are referred directly to incubators, innovation labs, and early stage investors. Your prototype is the brief.

04

Place

Finalist builders enter a direct hiring pipeline with companies that tracked their work across the league. No cold applications.

Dedicated League

Women Track

Built by women. Judged on the work.

The Women Track is a dedicated league inside hackFront India for all women teams. Same themes. Same problem statements. Same judging bar. Its own prizes, so the teams that build the strongest prototypes get recognised for exactly that. Over 200 all women teams have already registered. The next one could be yours.

Who can join

Every member of the team is a woman. Teams of 2 to 5.

How it works

Register as usual, pick your theme, complete the cohort and build on your theme's problem statement. All women teams are considered for the Women Track automatically.

200+
All Women
Teams
Register Your Team
The 20 week arc

Diagnose. Design. Deploy.

Three phases. Twenty weeks. One outcome pipeline at the end of it.

01Weeks 1 to 9

Diagnose

Problem briefs from industry. Teams pick a theme, study the space, and ship a diagnosis deck.

  • → Campus roadshows across 5 talent hubs
  • → Six week structured cohort with domain mentors
  • → Ideathon submission as gateway to nationals
02Weeks 10 to 11

Design

Build, test, and ship a functional solution reviewed by the companies that set the brief.

  • → Top 200 teams advance to the National Finale in Delhi
  • → 30 hour live hackathon build
  • → Grand Finale with 30 finalists pitching to industry juries
03Weeks 12 to 20

Deploy

Performance from the hackathon activates the outcomes pipeline. Top teams move into hiring, incubation, and R&D tracks.

  • → Incubation access with corporate labs
  • → Hiring pipeline with sponsor companies
  • → R&D adoption with brief owners
Your journey

From registration to runway.

1

Register

Solo or as a team of up to 4.

2

Pick a theme

Choose from 8 innovation themes.

3

Join cohort

Six weeks of structured curriculum with domain mentors.

4

Ideathon

Ship a working prototype. Qualify for the National Finale.

5

National Finale

30 hour build in Delhi. Top 200 only.

6

Deploy

Top builders enter the incubation and hiring pipeline.

Innovation themes

2 sectors. 8 themes. One league.

Pick the theme that fits how you build. Each one comes with real industry problem briefs, domain mentors, and a sponsor company actively reviewing your work.

8 themes, 12 problem statements, plus an Open Innovation route
Digital InnovationT-1

AI and Developer Tools

Build the next generation of AI agents, LLM-powered applications, and developer productivity tools. Work on real integration challenges across APIs, production-grade AI systems, and platforms that developers actually ship with.

Explore theme
Digital InnovationT-2

Cybersecurity

Build solutions that protect systems, identities, and data at India's scale. Work on threat detection pipelines, fraud prevention layers, digital identity frameworks, and secure infrastructure that holds up under real-world pressure.

Explore theme
Digital InnovationT-3

Telecom and Connectivity

Build applications and platforms that make connectivity faster, smarter, and more accessible. Work on 5G use cases, network optimization, OSS/BSS platforms, and solutions that bring reliable connectivity to underserved regions.

Explore theme
Digital InnovationT-4

Fintech

Build the financial infrastructure that India's next billion users will depend on. Work across digital payments, lending platforms, wealth tech, and regtech solutions that make finance faster, fairer, and more accessible.

Explore theme
Deep Tech & IndustryT-5

Open Source & Innovation

For builders who refuse to stay in one lane. Work on cross-domain challenges that blend multiple technologies, tackle frontier problems without a defined playbook, and ship experiments that push the boundaries of what Indian builders can produce.

Explore theme
Deep Tech & IndustryT-6

Automobile & EV

Build the technology that powers India's shift to electric and autonomous mobility. Work on EV systems, battery management, autonomous driving components, and smart mobility platforms that redefine how India moves.

Explore theme
Deep Tech & IndustryT-7

Critical Minerals & Green Energy

Build hardware and software solutions for India's clean energy transition. Work on renewable energy systems, energy monitoring platforms, resource optimization tools, and circular technology that closes the loop on waste and consumption.

Explore theme
Deep Tech & IndustryT-8

Space & Defence Tech

Build the deep technology that powers India's space ambitions and defence capabilities. Work on satellite systems, drone platforms, sensor fusion algorithms, and defence hardware that operates at the frontier of what Indian engineering can produce.

Explore theme
By the numbers

A program built for India's scale.

0+
Participants
0+
Teams
0+
All Women Teams
0+
Cohort Completions
INR 0.0 Lakh
Cash Prize Pool
Prize Pool · League Edition 01

Total cash pool: INR 3.5 Lakh

One card per prize. Explore national main league trophies, track rewards, hardware kits, and Sarvam AI build credits.

hackFront India main league

Card 01

Winning Team, hackFront India

INR 100000
INR 1 Lac Rupees
Card 02

Runner Up, hackFront India

INR 50000
INR 50K Rupees
Card 03

2nd Runner Up, hackFront India

INR 25000
INR 25K Rupees

Best All Women Team

Card 04

Winning Team, Best All Women Team

INR 50000
INR 50K Rupees
Card 05

Runner Up, Best All Women Team

INR 25000
INR 25K Rupees

Where U Elevate Innovation Challenge

Card 06

Winning Team, Where U Elevate Innovation Challenge

INR 25000
INR 25K Rupees
Card 07

Runner Up, Where U Elevate Innovation Challenge

INR 15000
INR 15K Rupees
Card 08

2nd Runner Up, Where U Elevate Innovation Challenge

INR 10000
INR 10K Rupees

Best Use of Neo4j

Card 09

Winning Team, Best Use of Neo4j

INR 25000
INR 25K Rupees plus $600 Credits
Card 10

Runner Up, Best Use of Neo4j

INR 15000
INR 15K Rupees plus $400 Credits
Card 11

2nd Runner Up, Best Use of Neo4j

INR 10000
INR 10K Rupees plus $200 Credits

Best Build on Arduino

Card 12

Winning Team, Best Build on Arduino

UNO Q Board Kit
UNO Q Board Kit worth INR 18,000
Card 13

Runner Up, Best Build on Arduino

UNO Q Board
UNO Q Board worth INR 9,900
Card 14

Best All Women Team, Best Build on Arduino

UNO Q Board
UNO Q Board worth INR 9,900

Best Use of Sarvam

Total rewards: 65,000 Sarvam Credits
Card 15

Winning Team, Best Use of Sarvam

10,000 Credits
10,000 Sarvam Credits
Card 16

Runner Up, Best Use of Sarvam

7,500 Credits
7,500 Sarvam Credits
Card 17

2nd Runner Up, Best Use of Sarvam

5,000 Credits
5,000 Sarvam Credits
Card 18

Sarvam AI Build Reward

500 Credits
500 Sarvam Credits per project
People in the room

Distinguished guests · Leadership Forum.

The Leadership Forum brought together voices from industry, academia, government, and India's startup ecosystem. More speakers will join across cohorts, roadshows, and the national finale.

Dr. Vinod Bind

Dr. Vinod Bind

Hon'ble M.P., Lok Sabha Bhadohi, Uttar Pradesh
Shri Anshoo Pandey

Shri Anshoo Pandey

Director, Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India
Ms. Malgorzata Wejsis-Gołębiak

Ms. Malgorzata Wejsis-Gołębiak

Minister Plenipotentiary and Director, Polish Institute, New Delhi
Dr. Pankaj Tripathi

Dr. Pankaj Tripathi

MBBS, Social Activist & Thought Leader
Shri Vinit Goenka

Shri Vinit Goenka

Secretary, Centre for Knowledge Sovereignty

Full lineup announced shortly · Subsequent events to follow

FAQs

Quick answers.

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