Chennai, 23 May 2025 — In a major step toward bridging the digital skills gap among youth, GUVI, the IIT-Madras and IIM-Ahmedabad-incubated EdTech company, has partnered with the Government of Tamil Nadu to upskill 5,555 students under the ambitious Naan Mudhalvan scheme. This collaborative initiative, launched in association with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC), culminated in the successful execution of the GUVI Hackathon 2025, a competitive and hands-on learning platform designed to build industry-ready talent.
Aimed at equipping students with real-world problem-solving abilities, the hackathon was conducted in a rigorous three-level hybrid format—starting with online assessments and culminating in offline finals hosted across Chennai, Thanjavur, and Kanyakumari. Of the 5,555 students who received 45 hours of expert-led training across 12 sessions, 2,885 actively participated in the challenge, making the event one of the most engaging of its kind in the state.
Arun Prakash, Founder and CEO of GUVI, expressed his enthusiasm about the initiative:
“At GUVI, we believe that learning should go beyond theory—it must be practical, accessible, and relevant. This partnership with the Government of Tamil Nadu allowed us to inspire thousands of young minds to move from passive learning to creating real-world solutions. Together, we are building a workforce that is not just job-ready but future-ready.”
The hackathon unfolded in three levels:
- Level 1: A 60-minute online MCQ assessment with 2,885 participants. The top 564 students advanced.
- Level 2: A more advanced online test narrowed the pool to 153 finalists.
- Level 3: The offline finale saw the top 153 tackle real-world challenges, with 33 students emerging as winners.
The hackathon finale brought together students, industry leaders, policymakers, and educators in a celebration of innovation. Dr. M. Jayaprakasan, CEO of the Naan Mudhalvan Initiative, commented:
“The Naan Mudhalvan scheme is about more than skill development—it’s about transformation. This hackathon, executed by GUVI, shows how students can turn knowledge into tangible solutions. It embodies our Chief Minister’s vision for a globally competitive and innovation-driven youth.”
As a recognised training partner under Naan Mudhalvan, GUVI brought its technical expertise and inclusive pedagogy to the programme, building on its prior success with initiatives like the Tamil Nadu Coders Premier League, which trained over 82,500 students in coding and IT.
The programme’s success was underscored by Dr. Kalai Selvan Tirucami, Advisor to the Naan Mudhalvan programme and former Additional Director of CUIC, Anna University:
“Hackathons now play a vital role in fresher hiring. This initiative gives students the stage to demonstrate their applied skills and gain visibility with top employers.”
To reward excellence, GUVI offered a suite of benefits to high-performing participants:
- Top 5 performers were awarded complimentary access to GUVI’s flagship Zenlite AI/ML programme, valued at ₹25,999.
- Top 10 performers secured remote internships in Data Science and AI technical support.
- All 153 finalists received free access to premium self-paced courses worth ₹10,000, covering domains like Full Stack Development, AI/ML, and Cybersecurity.
Balamurugan, Co-founder of GUVI, summed up the spirit of the initiative:
“We don’t just teach technology—we enable transformation. Through this hackathon, students took bold steps into innovation. We’re proud to help shape the changemakers of tomorrow.”
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Author, Entrepreneur, and Development Professional, specializing in small enterprise policy, development studies, and entrepreneurship programmes. Contributor Global SME News & Director of Strategic Initiatives at The Enterprise Institute. Formerly, Sr. Economist at the World Association for SMEs, Economist at AMI International SAOC. His writings have been featured in publications including UN TODAY, Financial Express, Financial Chronicle, ERENET Journal, Indian Express.
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