ADGIPS Delhi Team Tops; Winners Gain Access to $6 Million Prize Pool and Campus Tank Startup Challenge
CHANDIGARH, India | August 21, 2025 — Chandigarh University (CU) hosted Zero-to-One, North India’s largest university-led hackathon, bringing together 400 student innovators from 15 states in a 24-hour sprint to transform ideas into market-ready startups. Organized by CU’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Cell (CU-IEDC) and Technology Business Incubator (CU-TBI), the event coincided with World Entrepreneurs’ Day and attracted over 1,300 team registrations representing 5,200 students nationwide.
Themed “an idea in the morning, a startup by night,” the hackathon shortlisted 100 teams to build Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) within 24 hours, with the top 10 making it to the final round. The top three teams won direct entry to CU’s flagship Campus Tank startup challenge, offering access to a $6 million prize pool.
Winner: Lazy Genius (Dr. Akhilesh Das Gupta Institute of Professional Studies, Delhi) — HealthTech model for physiotherapy targeting back and neck pain relief.
2nd Place: Zudos (Chandigarh University) — Affordable smartboard operated via laser mouse.
3rd Place: Invaders (St. John College of Engineering & Management, Maharashtra) — FinTech solution enabling group-based digital wallet loans.
A special GitHub award of $100 was presented to Syntex Syndicate.
Startup Mentorship & Industry Voices
Industry leaders including Pushvinder Jit Singh (CMD, Tynor Orthotics India & Vice Chairman, CII), Mahavir Pratap Sharma (TIE India Angels), Mohit Dua (Co-Founder, AI Sensy), and senior professionals from Google, Microsoft, and GitHub mentored participants.
Speaking at the event, Pushvinder Jit Singh said:
> “With transformative reforms reshaping every sector, India is rising with renewed confidence. There has never been a more opportune moment to dive into the world of entrepreneurship than now.”
Archita Nandi, Director of CU-TBI, emphasized that the top 10 teams will continue receiving incubation support for four months, culminating in a Campus Tank demo day.
> “This hackathon bridges the gap between academic learning and real-world entrepreneurship, creating a launchpad for India’s next generation of startups,” she said.
A National Platform for Innovation
Participants came from universities including Amity, LPU, SRMIST, Chitkara, Thapar, and IIIT Sonepat, representing states from Gujarat and Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu and Odisha. The event reinforced CU’s growing role as a national hub for entrepreneurship, having already incubated 200+ startups.
Deep Inder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University, added:
> “Zero-to-One has established CU as a national innovation driver, empowering students not just to seek jobs but to become job creators.”
About Chandigarh University
Chandigarh University (CU) is one of India’s leading private universities, known for fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and research. Through CU-TBI and CU-IEDC, the university has incubated over 200 startups, providing students with mentorship, funding, and global exposure to thrive in the evolving startup ecosystem.
