UST Honours Exceptional Innovators at D3CODE Hackathon 2023 as Countdown to the D3 Global Technology Conference in Thiruvananthapuram Begins

Thiruvananthapuram, October 3, 2023: UST, a leading digital transformation solutions company, is pleased to announce the winners of the third edition of its 'D3CODE' (pronounced “decode”) hackathon for college and university students across India. The hackathon, which showcases ground-breaking solutions developed by participants, highlights creativity, innovation, and the future of technology. Besides lucrative prizes to winners, the hackathon provides a platform for students to put their creative thinking, problem-solving abilities, and programming skills to the test. This year, participants explored Generative AI and its potential to revolutionize creativity and innovation and how users will interact with the technology. The hackathon brought together the next generation of digital engineers at UST’s beautiful Thiruvananthapuram campus to network and further develop their programming and engineering skills.

D3CODE is one of the many exciting events held in the lead up to UST’s invite-only annual D3 (Dream, Develop, and Disrupt) technology conference, which will take place at Hyatt Regency, Thiruvananthapuram on October 5th. The week-long conference, now in its sixth year, will feature various events, including a technology expo, a distinguished line of speakers, and a full-day conference to be held on October 5. D3 will bring together industry leaders, digital strategists, and experts to discuss the latest trends and advancements in Generative AI and their value in the business. Keynote addresses will be delivered by Krishna Sudheendra, Chief Executive Officer, UST and Manu Gopinath, Chief Operating Officer, UST, as well as eminent guest speakers, including Henry Ajder, a globally recognized advisor, speaker and broadcaster, Jaspreet Bindra, the founder of Tech whisperer Ltd, Dr. Zohar Bronfman, Chief Executive officer, Pecan. Dr. Rohini Srivathsa, Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft India, and South Asia, Samit Gorai, Senior General Manager at Hero MotoCorp, Dr. Joseph Huang, Joint Executive Director of Strategic Research Initiatives, Stanford AI Labs, Heather Dawe, UK Head of Data, and Dr. Adnan Masood, Chief AI Architect, UST, will participate in a panel that will discuss the potential, ethical considerations, and navigation of pitfalls of Generative AI. with Niranjan Ramsunder, Chief Technology Officer, UST, and Arnab Bose, Chief Scientific Officer, UST Abzooba will talk about the revolutionary impact of Generative AI on business at UST and its potential applications, including the development of new products and services, improving customer service, and elevating user experiences.

There was an unprecedented response to this year's D3CODE Hackathon, with close to 12,000 applications submitted from teams across India. The competition consisted of three rounds, and shortlisted candidates had the opportunity to meet UST's leading subject matter experts and innovators, gaining insight into the ideation and value creation process for customers and communities. This was then followed by a programming challenge round, and video interviews. The top five teams were invited to the UST Thiruvananthapuram campus for a 24-hour onsite hackathon from Sept 30th to Oct 1st, 2023.

The following teams were declared winners of the D3CODE Hackathon 2023:

- First Prize: Team Masala Papad (Alan George, Mihir Shinde, Harsh Bhavesh Shah, Manan Sanjay Shah) from Dwarakadas J Sanghvi College of Engineering, Mumbai.
- Second Prize: Team J.A.R.V.I.S (Prakash Devnani, Prakhar Saxena, Gyandeep Kalita, Eisha Halder) from National Institute of Technology, Silchar.
- Third Prize: Team Genesis (Sooraj Mathew, Rishin R, Siddarth Sajeev, Hari V) from College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET).
- Honorary Mentions: Team CODE RED (Harshit Chaurasia, Prateek Pal, Himanshu Singh, Maida Iftikhar Chikan) from Institute of Engineering & Technology – Lucknow and
Team Zero (Pranav Satish, Sreehari S, Richard Joseph, Akhil Binoy Vettical) from College of Engineering, Trivandrum (CET).

"The recent D3CODE Hackathon 2023 provided a platform for the next generation of innovators to showcase their skills and highlight their ingenuity, creativity, and technical prowess. I want to congratulate the winners on their exceptional performance. All participants offered innovative solutions that raised the bar and inspired others to rethink assumptions and challenge conventions. At UST, we believe that Generative AI is the key to helping businesses strengthen operations at every level while preparing for future challenges,” said Manu Gopinath, Chief Operating Officer, UST.

The winning team of D3CODE received a cash prize of seven lakhs Indian Rupees (INR), with the runners-up receiving five lakhs INR, and the second runners-up receiving three lakhs INR. The two teams receiving honorary mentions were awarded two lakhs INR each. Additionally, each member of the top five teams received conditional job offers to join UST in recognition of their exceptional talent and potential.