Vikrant Joshi, Principal of Vivekanand Education Society Polytechnic, highlights industry collaboration and social innovation as diploma engineering students participate in a 24 hour state level hackathon in Mumbai.
Mumbai, March 6, 2026: Vivekanand Education Society’s Polytechnic, in association with the VES Polytechnic Alumni Association and the Institution’s Innovation Council Cell, successfully organised VES Technothon 2026, a 24 hour state level hackathon designed exclusively for diploma engineering students. The event was held on February 28 and March 1, 2026 at the VES Polytechnic campus in Chembur, Mumbai.
The hackathon was conducted under the theme Aarambh, encouraging young innovators to explore new ideas where every “what if” could take shape into a solution. The initiative aimed to nurture problem solving skills, entrepreneurial thinking and deeper collaboration between academia and industry.
The competition was structured across three major segments to encourage diverse innovation. The Problem Statement Based segment challenged participants to solve real world industry problems by building practical and scalable solutions aligned with business needs. The Technothon for Cause segment focused on social innovation by encouraging students to develop solutions supporting NGOs, underserved communities and persons with disabilities. The Open Innovation segment was divided into hardware and software tracks, allowing students to conceptualise and develop original ideas beyond predefined challenges.
The 24 hour hackathon began at 11:45 AM with participants working across multiple laboratories under continuous mentorship and structured evaluation. The first judging round was conducted at 4:30 PM where teams were evaluated on parameters including technology stack, scalability, business feasibility, implementation strategy and measurable development progress. A midnight engagement session was also organised to maintain momentum and strengthen collaboration among participating teams.
After a rigorous virtual screening process, the grand finale featured teams competing across four problem statement challenges, two Technothon for Cause challenges and open innovation tracks in both hardware and software categories.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by several industry leaders including Dr. Upendra Joshi, Vice President at Reliance Industries, Jiten Saheta, Director Operations at Connectwell Industries Private Limited, Sudarshan Srinivasan, Managing Director at VEGA India, K. Mahendra Kumar, Chief General Manager HR at the Mumbai Refinery of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Dr. H. M. Pardeshi, Deputy Secretary at the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education, Niranjan Bhise, Treasurer of ISA Maharashtra Section, Avani Udeshi, Founder of Vibrant Publisher and Sonal Sanghavi, Joint Secretary of VESPAA. Trustees of VES including Vishu Lala, Vijay Talreja and Sunil Kishanchandani were also present.
Problem statements for the hackathon were contributed by organisations including Talreja Foundation, Little Angel Foundation, ABC Charitable Trust, VEGA India, CM Techtronics, Veloce NxtGen School of Business and Meritto, strengthening industry participation and ensuring real world relevance for student innovations.
Vikrant Joshi, Principal of Vivekanand Education Society Polytechnic, said, “VES Technothon 2026 reflects our commitment to fostering innovation, applied learning and industry integration among diploma engineering students. By creating a platform that combines technical excellence with social impact, we are preparing our students to become solution oriented professionals and responsible innovators. The enthusiasm, resilience and creativity demonstrated during these 24 hours reaffirm our belief that the future of engineering leadership is in capable hands.”
VES Technothon 2026 highlighted the role of experiential learning in technical education while strengthening the connection between academic institutions and industry.
Connectwell Industries Private Limited participated as the Title Sponsor while VEGA India Level and Pressure Measurement Private Limited joined as the Associate Sponsor. The event was also supported by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited as the Fueling Partner, ISA Maharashtra Section as the Technology Partner, Axis Solutions Limited as the Innovation Partner, Vibrant Publishers as the Knowledge Partner and Veloce NxtGen as the Strategy Partner along with several other industry supporters.
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