As many as 534 students from 102 teams participated in KLE Technological University’s (KLE Tech) HackFest 2026, held from October to 9 to 11 on its Hubballi campus, and tried to find solution to real-world challenges.

Conceived and supported by the BVB–KLE Tech Alumni Association, the three-day event featured 15 problem statements contributed by alumni mentors from leading organisations. The challenges covered six domains, including defence and aerospace, sovereign artificial intelligence (AI), data security, mining, robotics, enterprise applications and healthcare AI, a release from KLE Tech said.

Following a screening of idea submissions, the shortlisted teams competed in a 12-hour on-campus hackathon, developing solutions to real-world problems. The participants worked through the problem-solving process, from understanding requirements and designing system architectures to building working prototypes and presenting them for evaluation.

Alumni mentors guided the teams throughout the event. A panel of 20 judges and reviewers assessed the solutions based on problem understanding, technical implementation, innovation, practical relevance and execution planning.

Cash prizes totalling ₹2.25 lakh were offered and winners in select categories were also offered internship opportunities.

At the valedictory ceremony, KLE Tech Vice-Chancellor P.G. Tewari, President of BVB–KLE Tech Alumni Association Vinay Jawalli, Dean of Student Welfare Sanjay Kotabagi, Secretary of Alumni Association Padmini Navalgund and HackFest coordinator Uday Kulkarni felicitated the winning teams. They commended the students for their creativity and the alumni for their role in strengthening the university’s innovation ecosystem.