TEAM | Bhai

First Hackathon: Bhai Bot

Winner, VIT Kickstarter Hackathon, Sep 2017

In our first year at VIT Vellore, from hacks to hacks our story goes "BHAI" (Backend Helping Artificial Intelligence), a chatbot designed to assist students with their physics syllabus. The idea behind BHAI was inspired by the common late-night panic before exams when you'd call a friend and say, "BHAI, kuch saamaja de" (Bro, explain something to me). Our chatbot could do exactly that teach you everything you need for the exam, not less, not more unlike Google. The chatbot could instantly provide explanations for any topic within our CAT 1 exam syllabus.

By midnight, we had over 2,000 users engaging with the chatbot, proving its value as a study aid.

This innovative solution led us to win the 1st prize at the Kickstarter hackathon, with a cash prize of ₹10,000, and an additional ₹10,000 from Kinapali given extemporaneous as they love our pitch. BHAI marked the beginning of my journey, our team members went on to winning or being runner-up in several coding competitions at Gravitas 2017, VIT’s annual technical fest.

Rajasthan Hackathon 3.0

Winner, Biggest Hackathon in India, Dec 2017

First-year students Utkarsh Kumar and Vansh Arora won the biggest and most prestigious hackathon in India, Rajasthan Hackathon 3.0 (the largest in the world at that time). They were honored by the then Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, for their outstanding achievement.

They developed an innovative Augmented Reality (AR) app for tourism, designed to enhance the tourist experience by providing real-time, interactive explanations of historical landmarks. Inspired by a visit to Udaipur Palace before the hackathon and childhood experiences of visiting historic places with his mothers and imagining all lost glories of these places. Thus coming up with an idea to create what is lost in these historic places over time using augmented reality.

Despite facing the challenges of traveling thousands of kilometers and juggling final exams, they persevered. Competing against over 1,800 teams (with over 10,000 participants)—including industry professionals and former alumni from IITs and IIMs—their project stood out for its creativity and practicality.

Utkarsh and Vansh secured the 1st prize and a ₹15 lakh contract from the Rajasthan Government to further develop their AR solution for Amer Fort, Jaipur UNESCO World Heritage vista. The hackathon was judged by prominent figures, including Hon. Mohandas Pai (Chairman, Manipal Global), Hon. Pulak Ghosh (Professor, IIM Bangalore), and Hon. Nick Booker. Notable attendees included the Director of Public Affairs at Uber, the MD of Autodesk, the Country Head of Oracle, the CEO of OYO Rooms, the CEO of Zoomcar, the CTO of PepsiCo, and the Director of Startups and National Technology Officer of Microsoft—among others, even an astronaut. This event was broadcasted live across the state of Rajasthan and special featured in state newspapers and national daily's.

This hackathon laid the foundation for future large-scale hackathons in India, such as the Smart India Hackathon, and played a crucial role in encouraging student participation in hackathons.

HackerTech

Winner, Pre-Incubated Under TBI, Dec 2017

Utkarsh Kumar and his team, BhaiDekh, made history at the HackerTech Hackathon, organized by VIT Ecell and the Technology Business Incubator (TBI) of the Government of India. Competing against more experienced teams, they were the only first-year team ever to be selected for this prestigious hackathon. Their innovation in using Augmented Reality (AR) to help students understand concepts better earned them the first prize of ₹1 lakh.

Not only did they win, but they also achieved several unprecedented milestones:

The only first-year team ever selected for the TBI Hackathon.
The only team in TBI-VIT's 16-year history to be pre-incubated and funded in their first year.
The first service-based startup to receive pre-incubation under TBI.

By winning HackerTech and securing pre-incubation under TBI, the team cemented their place in history, continuing their remarkable journey of innovation and success in 2017.

Christ Hackathon

Winner, 50th Anniversary, August 2018

In August 2018, Utkarsh Kumar and Sushmit Vaish secured the 1st prize in the National Science Fest Hackathon, organized by Christ University during their prestigious 50th Anniversary celebrations. The hackathon was one of the six prime events out of more than 70 competitions held during the fest, marking a major milestone for one of India's most prestigious universities. Competing at Christ University, a long-time rival of VIT, made this victory even more significant for the VIT team.

The journey to the win was not without challenges. Due to attendance requirements, Utkarsh had to attend classes at VIT, even as the hackathon had already started. On the train from Vellore to Bangalore, they coded and uploaded their work using free Wi-Fi at every stop. Upon reaching Bangalore, they worked through the night and pitched their project the following morning.

This victory at Christ University, given the rivalry and the magnitude of the event, was a major achievement in Utkarsh’s hackathon-winning streak and a proud moment for VIT.

Pennapps XVIIII

Top 10, Sep 2018

At the world’s oldest and largest college hackathon, Pennapps XVIII, held at the University of Pennsylvania, Utkarsh Kumar and his team achieved an impressive feat by securing a Top 10 position. The event, which drew participants from across the globe.

Their groundbreaking project, Stud_Vision, was an AR-based educational app designed to help students visualize complex 2D structures by transforming them into easily understandable 3D diagrams. The inspiration for Stud_Vision stemmed from Utkarsh’s personal struggle during high school, where he found it difficult to grasp molecular structures. His teacher would use pens to visualize and explain these concepts, and Utkarsh knew there had to be a better way to help students visualize such topics. This motivation drove the team to create a tool that would revolutionize how students interact with challenging concepts, bridging the gap between traditional and modern learning methods.

The impact of Stud_Vision was immediate. During the event, a student approached the team, exclaiming, “Woo, this is so cool!” and returned with his friends to see the app, demonstrating the excitement it generated among attendees. In addition to securing a Top 10 finish, the project was also recognized as the Best Education App at the event.

Utkarsh’s team included Le Liang, an M. Tech student from the University of Pennsylvania, and Jerry Zhou and Jonathan Xue, both from the University of Illinois.

This achievement at such a prestigious international event further solidified Utkarsh’s track record of success in high-profile hackathons.

HackMIT & HackHarvard

Top 10, Sep 2018

A 2nd-year Computer Science student at VIT, participated in HackMIT, one of the most prestigious hackathons held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Alongside MIT students Justin Yu and Forest Yang, Utkarsh worked on developing a Bluetooth-based Ad Hoc network designed to assist in disaster situations like floods and hurricanes, where phone networks are often unavailable. This innovative network enabled first responders to locate and communicate with people in need, while also allowing individuals within the network to communicate with each other.

Following his participation in HackMIT, Utkarsh was invited to HackHarvard 2018 and 2019, further solidifying his place among top innovators.

During HackMIT, Utkarsh had the unique opportunity to meet with Michael Seibel, CEO and Partner at Y Combinatorand Co-Founder of Twitch. They discussed potential opportunities for startup incubation, investment, and valuation through Y Combinator, one of the world's leading seed accelerators. This interaction was a significant milestone in Utkarsh's entrepreneurial journey, offering insights and potential future collaboration with Y Combinator, whose startups include companies like Dropbox, Airbnb, and Reddit.