Optivis, VeloTriz And Trailblazers Win Top Honours At Smart India Hackathon 2025 In Pune

Pune: Optivis, Velotrees and Trailblazers clinched top honours at the national Smart India Hackathon 2025 (SIH-2025) hardware grand finale, hosted at MIT Art, Design and Technology (MIT-ADT) University, Pune. The five-day national event was organised by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell in collaboration with AICTE.

Optivis (AICTE), VeloTriz (Ministry of Defence) and Trailblazers (Ministry of Science and Technology) impressed the jury with innovative and scalable solutions, securing winner positions in their respective problem statements. Meanwhile, Inno-Cores and ClutchSIH (both under the Ministry of Science and Technology), along with Nephron and Arogya Shield (Kerala government’s health department), jointly secured first positions in their categories.

MIT-ADT University was the only nodal centre in Maharashtra selected to host the national hardware finale of SIH-2025. A total of 25 teams from 11 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Karnataka, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, participated in the final round.

During the competition, student teams worked on real-world problem statements proposed by AICTE, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Kerala government’s health department. Their innovations were evaluated at multiple levels by expert jury panels before final selections were made. Each winning team was awarded a trophy, certificate and a cash prize of ₹1.5 lakh, sponsored by the Government of India.

The valedictory and prize distribution ceremony was attended by Dr Raghavprasad Das, advisor to the Ministry of Education; Dr Rakesh Kumar Ganju, assistant director, AICTE; Prof (Dr) Sayali Gankar, provost, MIT-ADT University; Dr Ramchandra Pujeri, pro-vice chancellor; Dr Mohit Dubey; Dr Mahesh Chopade, registrar; Mr.Ganesh Bhise SIH Center Head, Dr Nishant Tikeakar, nodal centre head; and Prof Suresh Kapare, competition convener, among others.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Raghavprasad Das said SIH-2025 was not merely a competition but a “celebration of student innovation.” He noted that the solutions presented by students to challenges faced by various government ministries reflected India’s steady progress towards the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’. He emphasised that the country’s youth would play a decisive role in nation-building and lauded the Government of India for providing platforms like SIH to showcase young innovators. He also commended MIT-ADT University, under the leadership of Prof (Dr) Mangesh Karad, for the meticulous execution of the event.

Provost Prof (Dr) Sayali Gankar highlighted the importance of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and smart automation in India’s development journey and appreciated the coordinated efforts of the university team in ensuring the smooth conduct of the competition.

The programme commenced with a world peace prayer. Prof Suresh Kapare delivered the introductory address, Dr Nishant Tikeakar proposed the vote of thanks, and Prof Sneha Waghatkar anchored the event.

Winners at a Glance

AICTE: Optivis (Chandigarh University, Punjab)

Ministry of Defence: VeloTriz (SRM Institute of Technology, Tamil Nadu)

Ministry of Science & Technology: Trailblazers (Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Tamil Nadu)

Ministry of Science & Technology: Inno-Cores (KGISL Institute of Technology, Coimbatore)

Ministry of Science & Technology: ClutchSIH (Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru)

Kerala Govt – Health Dept: Nephron (Bajaj Institute of Technology, Uttar Pradesh)

Kerala Govt – Health Dept: Arogya Shield (MIT-ADT University, Pune)