Hult Prize IOE Nepal 2024: Winner’s Innovative Solution & Highlights
25th February 2025, Kathmandu
The hearts of 11 participating teams were filled with dedication as they aimed for the title of champion at the Hult Prize at IOE, Pulchowk Campus.
Hult Prize IOE Nepal 2024
The Grand Finals took place spectacularly at Yellow Pagoda, Kanti Path, uniting Nepal’s brightest student entrepreneurs. The event was marked by intense competition, inspiring pitches, and a convergence of innovation and entrepreneurship for social impact.
Dubbed the “Nobel Prize for Students,” the Hult Prize is a global initiative that challenges young minds to create sustainable business solutions to address pressing social issues. This year’s competition, themed “UNLIMITED,” showcased a remarkable pool of talent, with finalists presenting groundbreaking ideas aimed at driving positive change.
The event commenced around 11:00 a.m. with Miss Saisha Shrestha, the Outreach Manager, and Mr. Nipurna Shrestha, the PR and Media Manager of the organizing committee, serving as the guiding hosts. Miss Shrestha warmly welcomed all participants and judges. To officially start the program, all attendees, including participants, judges, and organizing committee members stood for the national anthem. This was followed by the lighting of panas by our esteemed guest. Then the host also acknowledged the sponsors who made the event possible, particularly Naammche as the title sponsor and UBA Solutions as the Platinum Sponsor, along with other in-kind, gifting, hosting, food, and general sponsors.
The occasion officially began with a traditional Khada welcoming for the judges, accompanied by bouquets. The Campus Director of Hult Prize at IOE, Pulchowk Campus, Miss Riyaj Nepal, then addressed the crowd with an inspiring welcome speech, marking the start of the official pitching session. To kick off the event, members of the Pulchowk Dance Club performed a Newari welcome dance.
Next, our host provided a brief overview of the esteemed panel of judges, which included:
Surya Karki – Director & Co-Founder of United World Schools Nepal, recognized for his contributions to education and sustainable development.
Sujit Pathak – Managing Director of Veda, a leading digital education platform transforming Nepal’s academic sector.
Rita Pokharel – Business Development Lead for inDrive in South Asia, specializing in SaaS sales and CRM solutions.
Ramesh Pathak – Co-Founder and CEO of Naamche, an expert in AI-powered product development.
Mr. Ramesh Pathak, the CEO of Naamche, was then invited to share words of wisdom to motivate the participants for the final round. Each team then took the stage to present their innovative solutions, allotted four minutes for their pitches followed by four minutes for questions from the judges.
The judges were provided with sheets containing the judging criteria, which included key performance indicators, business model evaluation, market testing, and other essential aspects. Each judge carefully considered these criteria while assessing the pitches of the participants.
The Grand Finals featured 11 dynamic teams:
Pragatisheel Power Optimizers
Wheytogo
Creovative
Indriya
LipSync
Invasive Engineers
Swasthya AI
Ankur
CloseAI
FarmEasy
Nirwatshodak
Each team delivered a compelling pitch, addressing challenges in various sectors such as renewable energy, health tech, AI-driven solutions, and sustainable agriculture. The teams engaged in an interactive Q&A session with the judges, defending their concepts and demonstrating the scalability of their ideas. The pitches were captivating, and competition was fierce.
Participants and judges were provided with beverages from our sponsor, Manakamana Beverages. After the pitches of the five teams, there was a 30-minute lunch break, after which our second host, Mr. Nipurna Shrestha, resumed the event. Upon completing all the pitches, each team received participation certificates and keychains from Hesse Creations and Lakhamari from Kasthamandap Khadya Udhyog.
Once all finalist teams had presented, it was time to tally the scores and reach the most anticipated moment of the event. After calculating the scores, Miss Riyaj Nepal returned to the stage to announce the winners. The second runner-up was Team Invasive Engineers, who were awarded a cash prize of five thousand rupees, along with medals, certificates, bouquets, gift vouchers from in-kind sponsors, gift hampers from Ralycos Nepal, pen drives from Mudita Store, and tote bags.
Team Ankur emerged as the first runner-up, receiving a cash prize of ten thousand rupees, along with medals, certificates, bouquets, gift vouchers from in-kind sponsors, gift hampers from Ralycos Nepal, gaming mouse from Mudita Store, and tote bags.
Finally, it was time to announce the winner of the Hult Prize at the Institute of Engineering (IOE), Pulchowk Campus. Our wildcard team, Nirwatshodak, emerged as the champions with their outstanding pitch and innovative ideas. The room erupted with cheers and applause as their name was announced. They received a twenty thousand cash prize, medals, an award, certificates, bouquets, and gift vouchers from our in-kind sponsors, and gifting partners. Each team member also received a gift hamper from Ralycos Nepal, headphones from Mudita Store, and tote bags.
As a gesture of gratitude to the judges for their time and effort, Miss Riyaj Nepal, the Campus Director, presented each guest with a handcrafted wooden token from our gifting partner, CNC Kasthakala Nepal. They also received a plant from our in-kind sponsor, The Plant Room Nepal, Lakhamri from Kathamandap Khadya Udhyog, perfumes from Call Me Aroma, and tote bags.
The finale concluded with the cutting of cake from our top 3 winners which was from our cake partner, CakeMart, and a group photo featuring all the participants and members of the organizing committee. The event was a great success, thanks to the dedication and teamwork of the organizing committee, the participants who gave their all to win, and all the emerging entrepreneurs who are driving change and revolution.
The Hult Prize Finals at IOE, Pulchowk Campus highlighted Nepal’s growing presence in the global startup ecosystem. With the spirit of entrepreneurship soaring and young innovators pushing boundaries, the event served as a beacon of hope for sustainable business solutions that can transform lives. As the finalists continue their journeys, the competition’s success underscores the power of youth-driven innovation and reaffirms Nepal’s potential as a hub for impactful startups. This journey doesn’t end here—it is just the beginning for these aspiring changemakers.
Congratulations to all the participating teams for their remarkable efforts!
For more: Hult Prize IOE Nepal 2024
