Mumbai, Mar 6: Vivekanand Education Society’s Polytechnic’s (VESP), in association with the VES Polytechnic Alumni Association (VESPAA) and the Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) Cell, successfully hosted VES Technothon 2026, a 24-hour state-level hackathon exclusively for diploma engineering students. Held on 28th February and 1st March 2026 at the VES Polytechnic campus in Chembur, Mumbai, the event brought together young innovators under the theme “Aarambh”, Where every ‘What if’ finds its beginning.
Designed to nurture problem-solving, entrepreneurial thinking, and deeper industry collaboration, the hackathon featured three focused competition segments encouraging diverse forms of innovation. The Problem Statement-Based (PS-Based) segment challenged participants to address real-world industry problems through practical, scalable solutions aligned with business needs. The Technothon for Cause (TFC) segment emphasized social impact, tasking students with developing meaningful innovations to support NGOs, underserved communities, and persons with disabilities. Complementing these was the Open Innovation segment, divided into hardware and software tracks, providing an open platform for students to conceptualize and build original ideas beyond predefined challenges.
The 24-hour hackathon commenced at 11:45 AM, with participants working across designated laboratories under continuous mentorship and structured evaluation. The first round of judging was conducted at 4:30 PM, assessing projects on parameters such as technology stack, scalability, business feasibility, implementation strategy, and measurable progress from earlier evaluation stages. To sustain momentum and morale, a midnight engagement session was organized to rejuvenate participants and foster informal team bonding, reinforcing the event’s collaborative spirit.
Following a rigorous virtual screening round, the grand finale witnessed teams competing across four PS-Based challenges, two TFC problem statements, and Open Innovation tracks in both hardware and software domains. The inauguration ceremony was graced by distinguished industry leaders, including Dr. (Shri.) Upendra Joshi, Vice President, Reliance Industries; Shri Jiten Saheta, Director – Operations, Connectwell Industries Pvt. Ltd.; Shri Sudarshan Srinivasan, Managing Director, VEGA India; Shri K. Mahendra Kumar, Chief General Manager – HR, Mumbai Refinery, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited; Dr. (Shri.) H. M. Pardeshi, Deputy Secretary, Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education; Shri Niranjan Bhise, Treasurer, ISA Maharashtra Section; Avani Udeshi, Founder, Vibrant Publisher; Sonal Sanghavi, Joint Secretary, VESPAA; and Trustees of VES, including Shri. Vishu Lala, Shri. Vijay Talreja and Shri. Sunil Kishanchandani.
The problem statements were contributed by reputed organizations, including Talreja Foundation, Little Angel Foundation, ABC Charitable Trust, VEGA India, CM Techtronics, Veloce NxtGen School of Business, and Meritto, further strengthening industry-academia collaboration and ensuring real-world relevance.
“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,” said Vikrant Joshi, Principal, Vivekanand Education Society Polytechnic.
VES Technothon 2026 stands as a landmark initiative in promoting experiential learning, real-time problem-solving, and meaningful innovation, reinforcing VESP’s position as a leading institution driving technical education excellence in Maharashtra. The event’s sponsors included Connectwell Industries Pvt. Ltd., joining as the Title Sponsor, and VEGA India Level & Pressure Measurement Private Limited, which came on board as the Associate Sponsor, reinforcing strong industry participation and support for Technothon 2026. Supporting this journey are Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited as the Fueling Partner, ISA Maharashtra Section, Technology Partner, Axis Solutions Ltd. as the Innovation Partner, Vibrant Publishers as the Knowledge Partner, Veloce NxtGen as the Strategy Partner, and initiative supporters including CM Techtronics, PPI, MB Automation, Sonal G. Sanghvi, AUM International FZE, 39 Solutions, Sierra Instrumentation & Controls, iGarage Customs, Swapnil A. Prabhavalkar and others, reflecting a strong ecosystem of academic–industry collaboration.