Ignition 1.0: Powering Innovation Through an Overnight Hackathon

Ignition 1.0, an electrifying overnight hackathon held on November 7 to 8, 2025 at PES University, Electronic City Campus, marked a major milestone in collaborative innovation between academia and industry. The event was successfully organized by Team Vegavath in collaboration with Ather Energy, bringing together some of the brightest student minds on campus.

The hackathon witnessed enthusiastic participation from 230+ students forming 59 teams, all united by a single challenge: to design and build a wearable rider telemetry system with real-time data capabilities. Over an intense night of ideation, prototyping, and live testing, participants demonstrated exceptional creativity, problem-solving ability, and technical depth.

A Strong Start with Inspiring Voices
The inauguration set an inspiring tone for the event, featuring insightful addresses by Dr. Nagarjuna Sadineni, Pro Vice Chancellor, PES University, and esteemed industry guest Mr. Suresh Narasimha. Their words emphasized the importance of innovation, hands-on learning, and strong industry–academia collaboration.

The keynote session was delivered by Mr. Adarsh ML from Ather Energy, who shared valuable industry perspectives and real-world insights, motivating participants to think beyond conventional solutions and approach the challenge with an industry-driven mindset. The organizers also extend special thanks to Dr. Satish S V for his continuous guidance and support throughout the event.

A Night of Innovation and Execution
As the clock ticked through the night, teams worked relentlessly—brainstorming ideas, building hardware, writing code, and testing their solutions in real time. The hackathon environment fostered collaboration, rapid learning, and experimentation, pushing participants to turn concepts into working prototypes under tight deadlines.

The results reflected the energy and dedication of the participants, showcasing robust solutions that blended innovation with practical feasibility.

Celebrating Excellence
The event concluded with well-deserved recognition of outstanding performances

• Black Box – 1st Place
• Ather Link – 2nd Place
• Data Drift – Innovation Challenge Award

Congratulations to the winning teams and heartfelt appreciation to all participants whose enthusiasm and commitment made Ignition 1.0 a resounding success.

Gratitude to the Organizing Team
Kudos to the Organising Committee of Ignition 1.0 for flawlessly executing a large-scale overnight hackathon and for enabling a meaningful collaboration between PES University and Ather Energy. Their efforts ensured an enriching experience that blended learning, innovation, and industry relevance.

Ignition 1.0 stands as a testament to what can be achieved when students, faculty, and industry come together to innovate—and it has certainly set the bar high for future editions.