Chandigarh University marked World Entrepreneurs’ Day with ‘Zero-to-One’ MVP Start-up Hackathon, uniting 400 innovators from 15 states. Winners secured access to $6M prize pool and direct entry to Campus Tank, empowering India’s next-gen entrepreneurs.
400 Innovators from 15 States Compete in CU’s ‘Zero-to-One’ Hackathon; Winners Gain Access to $6 Million Prize Pool & Direct Entry to Campus Tank
Chandigarh University (CU) celebrated World Entrepreneurs’ Day by organizing ‘Zero-to-One’ – a 24-hour nationwide MVP Building Hackathon, empowering students to turn ideas into real-world ventures. The event was spearheaded by CU’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Cell (CU-IEDC) in collaboration with its Technology Business Incubator (CU-TBI).
Drawing 1,300 team registrations and 5,200 student innovators from 15 states, the hackathon has established itself as North India’s largest university-led innovation sprint, offering winners entry to India’s first university-led start-up challenge Campus Tank with a $6 million prize pool.
Guided by the theme “An idea in the morning, a start-up by night”, 100 shortlisted teams built Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) within 24 hours, with the top 10 advancing to the finale.
Winners:
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1st Place – Lazy Genius (ADGIPS Delhi): A HealthTech startup developing an affordable physiotherapy model for back and neck pain.
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2nd Place – Zudos (Chandigarh University): A tech startup building a cost-effective smartboard powered by laser mouse technology.
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3rd Place – Invaders (SJCEM Maharashtra): A FinTech solution enabling digital wallet-based community lending for groups excluded from traditional banking.
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Special Recognition – Syntex Syndicate: Awarded $100 by GitHub.
Leaders & Experts Inspire Next-Gen Entrepreneurs
The hackathon was graced by Pushvinder Jit Singh, CMD Tynor Orthotics India & Vice Chairman, CII, as Guest of Honour. Applauding India’s startup boom, he stated:
“Under strong leadership at the Centre, transformative reforms are reshaping every sector. This is the right time to dive into entrepreneurship.”
Other mentors and judges included Mahavir Pratap Sharma (TIE India Angels), Mohit Dua (AI Sensy), Piyush Garg (Techyst), Pratiksha Gupta (One Special Place), Santosh Kumar Mishra (Microsoft & InterviewCafe), Uday Sharma (DevnDez), Simarpreet Singh (Google Developer Groups), Vikash Kumar Yadav (GitHub), and CU leadership including Prof. (Dr.) RS Bawa and Prof. (Dr.) Manpreet Singh Manna.
Building India’s Startup Ecosystem
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Deep Inder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, CU: “Zero-to-One has positioned CU as a national innovation driver, already incubating over 200 startups. Such events will empower job creators and make India the world’s No.1 startup hub.”
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Archita Nandi, Director CU-TBI: “The top 10 teams will be mentored and incubated at CU, preparing them for Campus Tank’s demo day and market launch.”
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Santosh Kumar Mishra (Microsoft): “CU is building a culture of job creators, not job seekers.”
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Simarpreet Singh (Google Developer Groups): “Funding plus in-house platforms like Campus Tank empower students to turn ideas into reality.”
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Vikash Kumar Yadav (GitHub): “CU provides not just funding, but mentorship—turning startups into successful ventures.”
Participation & Impact
The hackathon attracted young founders from premier institutions including Amity, GLA, Thapar, MIT ADT, Chitkara, LPU, UPES, SRMIST, IIIT Sonepat, VNIT, NIET, Geeta University, HPTU, and GEC Gandhinagar, with participants hailing from cities across Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Odisha, and more.
By bridging academic learning with real-world entrepreneurship, Chandigarh University’s Zero-to-One Hackathon has cemented its role in strengthening India’s startup ecosystem and nurturing the next generation of innovators.
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