Securing a job offer before entering the final year of engineering is a dream for many students—and for me, that dream became reality. As someone passionate about building real-world tech solutions, I had the chance to participate in Nomura’s KakushIN 9.0 hackathon. It wasn’t just another competition; it was a turning point. The intense brainstorming, problem-solving, and teamwork paid off when I received a Pre-Placement Offer (PPO) from Nomura. Starting my final year with the confidence of being placed has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders and motivated me to aim even higher.

About Me

I am Darshan Khapekar, a tech enthusiast with 5x Hackathon Wins including Smart India Hackathon 2024 and 2x Project Exhibition wins, 3+ years of Teaching experience and almost 1 year of Industry Experience. I have been proficient in Java, C, C++, JavaScript and Python including frameworks like Flask, Django, Fast API, React and Databases including Firebase, MongoDB, MySQL, Redis and Postgres.

About Nomura

Nomura is a global financial services group headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with a strong presence across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Known for its commitment to innovation and excellence, Nomura offers a wide range of services including investment banking, asset management, and retail brokerage. With a focus on creating long-term value for clients, Nomura blends deep market expertise with cutting-edge technology to drive smart, data-driven financial solutions. The firm actively engages with young talent through initiatives like the KakushIN Hackathon, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and the spirit of innovation.

KakushIN Hackathon

KakushIN is Nomura’s flagship innovation hackathon designed to discover and engage with talented student developers and problem-solvers from across India. The event brings together tech-savvy minds to solve real-world challenges using modern technologies and creative thinking. One of the key highlights of KakushIN is the opportunity it provides for career advancement—top-performing teams often receive Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs) or internship opportunities with Nomura. However, since internships at Nomura typically begin in January, final-year B.E. Students like us are not eligible for internships due to academic timelines. Instead, based on performance and fit, we are directly considered for PPOs, making KakushIN a fast-track pathway to kickstarting a career at Nomura right before graduation.

KakushIN 9.0 Problem Statement

Compensation

KakushIN Timeline

Event Launch and Executive Summary Submissions - 5th June 2025
Executive Summary Submission Deadline - 13th June 2025
Communication of Shortlisted Teams - 20th June (postponed to 21st June) 2025
Presentation Round - 24th June 2025
Communication of Finalists - 26th June 2025
Setup at Powai Office - 3rd July 2025
Finale KakushIN Hackathon - 4 and 5th July 2025

Pre-Hackathon - Team Formation

Hackathons typically start with drafting the Executive Summary, but the most critical step is assembling the right team. Since the team comprises two members, it's ideal that both are proficient in technology—preferably full stack developers. Having some design skills is also a valuable addition. When both team members possess similar skill levels, it allows them to work independently on separate features, boosting overall productivity and efficiency.

Round 1 - Executive Summary Round

Once Nomura releases its problem statement, teams are required to prepare an Executive Summary—either a 2-page Word document or a 3-slide PowerPoint presentation. A total of 167 students applied for Round 1. The Executive Summary should include the following sections:

Team Name
About Us
Project Details
Proposed Solution
Tech Stack

Additionally, ensure that your summary has a clear and logical flow, and include a well-structured flowchart to illustrate your solution effectively.

Round 2 - Presentation Round

The results, initially scheduled for the 20th, were announced on the 21st. Following the announcement, we had just two and a half days to prepare our presentation. Out of 167 teams, only 30 were selected. My teammate was at her native place and arrived on the morning of the 23rd, leaving us with only one full day to complete the entire presentation in detail. We worked together intensively and finalized the presentation, which included:

Introduction
Statistical Data ( Having numbers is always great )
Market Study and Pain Points
Proposed Solution
Project Features
AI-ML Innovation ( since Gen AI was their Theme )
Flowchart
Few Features explained with working
Directory Overview
Tools and Technology
Roles Defined Individually
User Interfaces

On the 26th at 5:26 PM, the final list of selected students was announced. A total of 7 teams from VESIT made it to the next stage. We were then given approximately one week to prepare for the Grand Finale.

Final Round - KakushIN 9.0

PreHackathon Preparation

Since KakushIN imposed strict restrictions on the use of LLMs, we focused on strengthening our ability to work through documentation. To prepare ourselves, we developed several core features in advance solely by referring to official documentation—without relying on YouTube videos or ChatGPT. We also ensured that all necessary diagrams and flowcharts were prepared well in advance, allowing us to save time and stay organized during the actual development phase.

Setup

On 3rd July, we were scheduled to visit the Nomura Office at Powai. Transportation was arranged with cab pickup and drop-off. Although it wasn’t communicated beforehand, we were required to bring our laptops—but fortunately, we had carried them just in case.

The day began with an orientation session, followed by breakfast, after which we proceeded to our designated setup area. We were accompanied throughout the hackathon by Tech-Enablers, who were Analysts at Nomura, offering us technical support and guidance.

Due to Nomura’s highly secure workplace policies, we were not allowed to move around freely, as most doors were access-restricted. We connected to their internal hidden network and accessed their EC2 instance—deployed on Nomura’s servers—via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). We then installed all the necessary software and libraries required for development.

We were also introduced to KakushIN, Nomura’s in-house LLM platform based on Claude-4, with alternative access provided through LM Studio. Among the available model options, we selected Gemma-4B as it was lightweight and offered quicker response times. KakushIN could be accessed both via API and a user-friendly interface.

Although we were expected to wrap up by 3 PM, the setup process took longer than anticipated. We finally completed all configurations and left the office around 6 PM.

Grand Finale

Hackathon Day – 4th July On 4th July, my cab was scheduled for 6:15 AM, and I reached the Nomura Office in Powai by 7:30 AM. After an hour of waiting, the day began with breakfast followed by an orientation session, where the structure of the hackathon and documentation for KakushIN LLM was shared.

We were provided with new Google accounts for official access, but the tech-enablers retained the passwords, which limited our control over account-related tools and configurations.

The hackathon officially began around 10:30 AM. Since GitHub repository access was not available initially, both Shravani and I began setting up the development environments individually—I worked on the Flask backend, while Shravani set up the React frontend.

After about an hour, we received access to a shared GitHub repository, but were restricted to using only the VS Code UI and its terminal for interacting with it. Around 12 PM, access to the KakushIN LLM was enabled, but due to a large number of participants trying to use it simultaneously, the server frequently went down. We attempted to use LM Studio as an alternative, but the output quality was unsatisfactory.

Realizing the inconsistency in LLM access and the limitations of the network—which had blocked resources like GitHub and other external sites—we made a strategic decision: we relied solely on official documentation to continue development. This decision saved valuable time and ensured consistent progress.

Workplace Experience & Interactions

Throughout the day, I made it a point to interact with several Nomura employees, taking breaks to learn more about the work culture, team dynamics, and career paths. I even met a few seniors who had been at Nomura for over 14–15 years, gaining deep insights into their professional journeys.

Despite server-related challenges, the hackathon deadline was extended by an hour, allowing us to complete our development work. During this time, several tech-enablers and mentors visited our booth to understand our project. Their positive feedback reassured us that our concept and execution were clear and impactful.

With each practice presentation, Shravani and I carefully noted where communication gaps occurred. This helped us refine our delivery to ensure a compelling and confident final presentation.

Final Presentation & Judging

The final judging involved five panels, with team allocations done through an online chit system. Each panel included a senior Nomura employee flown in from Japan. Just before our presentation, KK Sir visited us unexpectedly and asked us to give a trial run. He insisted Shravani present alone and raised several difficult questions—some of which were intentionally confusing. While this rattled her momentarily, I understood his intent: to prepare us for the toughest possible panel scenario. After he left, I encouraged Shravani, assuring her that we were going to win.

During the final panel presentation, we gave our best. I focused on articulating real-world use cases and business value while Shravani led the technical walkthrough. The panel appeared fully engaged and satisfied with our project.

Post-presentation, I had a chance to interact with senior employees over lunch. Later, during the participation certificate distribution, Mr. Atsushi Nakajima (Head of Corporate IT, Japan) personally shared that he “absolutely loved the presentation,” which significantly boosted my confidence in our solution.

Results & Felicitation

As the felicitation ceremony approached, I felt nervous, sensing the weight of expectations. When our team was announced as the 2nd Runner-up, Shravani and I were overjoyed—every effort we had put in was finally validated. I had kept the result a secret from my family and surprised them later by directly showing them the winner's plaque. Along with the recognition, we also received Bose Headphones as a reward.

PPO Announcement – 7th July

On 7th July, we received an email from the college confirming that we had been awarded a Pre-Placement Offer (PPO). Until that moment, we were anxious about the outcome, but the confirmation brought immense relief and joy.

Out of all participants, only 4 students from VESIT received PPOs—and we were among them.

Turning Innovation into Opportunity: My Nomura PPO Journey

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