Techxcelerate 2025: Bits Hyderabad Hackathon

About TechXcelerate 2025

TechXcelerate 2025 is a national-level hackathon organized by CodeBeat and BharatVersity, hosted at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, bringing together some of the most passionate student innovators from across the country.

The event featured:

→ Hands-on workshops across domains like AI/ML, MERN Stack, DevOps, and IoT, led by top industry mentors

→ A 20-hour hackathon to solve real-world problems and compete for a ₹5,00,000+ prize pool across multiple innovation tracks

With hundreds of teams and thousands of participants competing across tracks such as Open Innovation, Generative AI, Health Care, SaaS, and more the hackathon followed a three-round structure:

Round 1: Idea & Team Submission

Teams submitted their project ideas, selected tech stacks, described team members’ technical skills, and evaluated business viability and future scope.
Round 2: Virtual Progress Check

A mid-hackathon check-in via progress update forms, assessing technical progress and roadmap alignment.
Round 3: Evaluation & Elimination Round

Based on a detailed review of project advancement and clarity of implementation — this was the final cut before the finals.

Each round was scored out of 100 points, and only the top teams per track were selected for the final stage.

Final Round: Jury Pitch & Live Evaluation

Teams had to present their working MVPs to a jury panel, showcasing both technical execution and real-world impact.

And that’s exactly where our journey and surprise comeback began.

✨ Our Journey Begins

I went into TechXcelerate 2025 with zero expectations — just a backpack, some Red Bulls, and a hope to learn something new. I came out of it with an incredible team experience, a working product, and a hackathon win I’ll never forget.

As beginners stepping into our very first hackathon, we didn’t expect much. We came for the experience, the learning, and maybe the late-night hustle. But what unfolded over the next 24 hours turned out to be one of the most unforgettable moments in our tech journey.

What happened still feels surreal: we made it to the final round… and actually WON 2nd place in the Open Innovation track! With hundreds of teams, advanced projects, and three intense elimination rounds, the odds didn’t seem in our favor. But somehow, through chaos, collaboration, and a lot of coffee, we pulled off something we’re truly proud of.

Our project, StudySync, was built to solve real problems students like us face every day and in the end, it resonated not just with us, but with the judges too.

This blog is my attempt to bottle up the adrenaline, the laughter, the panic-googling, the 3 a.m bugs, and that heart stopping moment when they called out our team name as finalists.

Problem Statement & Inspiration

The idea for StudySync came from a place every student knows too well - the chaos of last minute exam prep, scattered resources, disconnected study groups, and the constant “Who has the notes?” messages flying around.

We’ve all been there: trying to find the right people to study with, struggling to organize group sessions, and drowning in endless PDFs, links, and screenshots across a dozen platforms. Learning should be collaborative — but too often, it’s fragmented and overwhelming.

That’s where the idea clicked.

What if we built a single platform where students could connect, collaborate, and thrive — all in one place? With that question in mind, StudySync was born. Our goal was to create a centralized ecosystem where students could:

Form or join subject-specific study groups
Chat in real-time
Share learning materials
Plan study sessions effortlessly

We didn’t just want to build another chat app. We wanted to build a focused, student-first platform that encourages productivity, reduces isolation, and brings structure to group learning.

The Build – How We Built StudySync

Once the idea was locked in, it was time to turn our vision into a real, working product and do it in less than 24 hours.

As a team of five beginner developers, we knew the challenge wasn’t just building fast — it was about building smart. We divided responsibilities based on our interests and strengths, and kept communication flowing through quick stand-ups, checklists, and chaotic but effective coordination.

We also made great use of AI tools like Windsurf and Cursor, which helped us code faster and debug smarter, our silent sixth and seventh teammates.

We went with a modern and efficient tech stack that gave us both speed and flexibility:

Frontend: React + TypeScript
Build Tool: Vite (for a lightning-fast dev experience)
UI Components: shadcn-ui
Styling: Tailwind CSS
Backend: Supabase (for authentication, database, and file storage)

Supabase turned out to be a massive time saver, setting up user auth and managing resource uploads became quick and seamless, letting us focus on features that really mattered:

✅ Creating & joining study groups

✅ Uploading and viewing study resources

✅ A clean, distraction-free user interface

Of course, no hackathon is complete without bugs. We faced weird UI glitches, broken state updates, and a few "why-is-this-not-rendering" moments. But with some panic-googling, console.log therapy, and lots of team support, we made it through.

At some point, we realized we couldn’t possibly build everything we had planned in 24 hours. So, we made a strategic decision to pivot to an MVP: focus on the core features, make the frontend beautiful and intuitive, and let the idea shine — even if a few checkboxes remained unticked.

Pitching & Presentation – From No Hopes to Finalists

After Round 3, the last elimination stage — we were mentally prepared to pack up and cheer for the remaining teams. We thought we had done well, but with so many participants and experienced teams in the pool, we had zero expectations.

And then it happened.

StudySync was announced as one of the Top finalists in Open Innovation Track.

We froze. A mix of adrenaline, shock, and pure happiness took over and we had exactly 30 minutes to get it together and prepare a pitch. No time to celebrate, no time to panic - just go.

While setting up the demo, a few features that worked minutes ago suddenly bugged out. Classic last-minute chaos. But we didn’t let it show. We shifted gears and decided to lean into what we did best at that point: storytelling, design clarity, and clear communication.

Our pitch focused on the why behind StudySync — the problem every student faces and how our solution creates a structured, collaborative learning space. We kept it authentic, highlighted our core features, and emphasized our clean UI and thoughtful UX. The MVP wasn’t feature heavy, but it was solid and well-designed and we made sure that came through.

The judges were receptive and encouraging. We shared how we tackled challenges, made last-minute decisions, and how five beginners built something that worked, looked good, and solved a real problem.

When the winners were announced, seeing “StudySync” as the 2nd place winner in the Open Innovation track didn’t just feel like a victory — it felt like a dream that we somehow debugged into reality.

Lessons Learned & What’s Next

TechXcelerate 2025 wasn’t just a hackathon — it was a crash course in creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork under pressure. As first-time participants, we went in with beginner-level skills and walked out with a ton of real-world experience (and a trophy to match).

Here are some of our biggest takeaways:

Build the MVP, Not Everything:

We had a long list of features, but limited time forced us to focus on the essentials. Learning to prioritize what matters most was a game changer.

Communication Beats Perfection:

When features failed, it was our presentation, clarity, and storytelling that carried us. Being able to explain your "why" is just as important as showing your "what."

Teamwork Makes It Happen:

Working with a team of passionate learners made everything smoother - from debugging late night errors to boosting each other’s morale in crunch time.

Adaptability is Key:

We learned to pivot fast, simplify our architecture, and even redesign parts of the UI mid-way. Being flexible saved our project more than once.

AI Can Accelerate You, Not Replace You:

Tools like Cursor and Windsurf helped us speed up development, but they were just that — tools. Our logic, creativity, and decisions still made the difference.

What’s Next?

This is just the beginning for StudySync. Our hackathon version was the MVP and now we’re planning to:

Add more collaboration features like group calendars and shared notes
Add real-time chat features and Improve the chat experience with notifications and threads
Launch a public beta version with student feedback
Possibly open-source the project and build in public

We also want to keep participating in more hackathons, learning as we go, and building tools that solve real-world problems. If there’s one thing TechXcelerate taught us, it’s this:

You don’t have to be an expert to build something impactful, just be willing to start.

Final Reflections & Gratitude

Looking back, TechXcelerate 2025 wasn’t just a hackathon — it was a reminder that taking a leap, even with limited experience, can lead to something extraordinary. From ideation to MVP, from bug-fixes at 3 AM to presenting in front of a jury panel, every moment was intense, real, and unforgettable.

Winning 2nd place in the Open Innovation track as first time participants proved to us that it’s not always about having the most experience or the perfect product but it’s about building with intent, solving real problems, and showing up with passion and persistence.

We’re incredibly grateful to the organizers at CodeBeat, BharatVersity, and BITS Pilani Hyderabad Campus for hosting such a student-focused event. A big shoutout to the volunteers and judges who made the experience even more valuable with their insights and support.

Most importantly, thank you to my amazing team — the minds behind StudySync. We started as a bunch of curious learners and walked out with not just a win, but a project we genuinely believe in.

And this is just the beginning.

If you’d like to connect, collaborate, or try out StudySync, feel free to reach out!

Let’s Connect!

🔗 Try out StudySync (Coming Soon!)

📬 Got ideas or feedback? DM me or email at kolasanivenkat2@gmail.com

💼 Let’s connect on Linkedin

Winning at TechXcelerate 2025: A Hackathon Experience That Redefined My Learning Curve

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