Ideathon 2026 – Innovate for Impact

Objective:

To foster innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among students by encouraging problem-first, solution-oriented approaches. The event aimed to provide a structured platform for participants to ideate, validate, and pitch impactful solutions addressing real-world challenges across multiple sectors.

Outcome:

The event successfully brought together interdisciplinary teams from various institutes to develop innovative, feasible, and scalable ideas. Participants enhanced their problem-solving, pitching, and business modelling skills. The competition encouraged cross-institutional collaboration and identified ideas with startup and implementation potential. ICAR-NAARM secured the Winner position, while SCMS was declared Runner-Up.

Report

The E-Cell of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Hyderabad organized Ideathon 2026 – Innovate for Impact on 28th February, 2026 at the Lecture Theatre (LT). The event was designed as a high-energy ideation platform to bring together creative thinkers, innovators, and aspiring entrepreneurs.

The Ideathon witnessed participation from students of SIBM Hyderabad, SIT, SCMS, and ICAR-NAARM. A total of four teams competed in the event. Three teams comprised two members each, while one team consisted of four members, adhering to the prescribed team size of 2–4 members.

The competition revolved around real-world problem-solving across themes such as:

• Healthcare & Wellbeing
• Sustainability & Climate Action
• Smart Cities & Mobility
• Agriculture & Rural Innovation
• FinTech, GovTech & LegalTech
• Education, Skills & Future of Work
• Emerging Technologies (AI, IoT, Blockchain, AR/VR)

The event followed a structured format:

1. Problem Identification & Ideation – Teams identified pressing real-world challenges aligned with selected themes.
2. Solution Design & Validation – Participants designed innovative and practical solutions while validating feasibility.
3. Business / Impact Model Development – Teams developed scalable business or impact-oriented models.
4. Final Pitch to Jury – Each team presented their idea before the esteemed jury panel.

The event was evaluated based on:

• Problem relevance and clarity
• Innovation and originality
• Feasibility and scalability
• Social, economic, and environmental impact
• Quality of pitch and articulation

The jury panel comprised

• Dr. Lakshminarayana Kompella
• Dr. Mohammad Laeequddin
• Mr. Uday Nadiwade

The jury provided constructive feedback, encouraging participants to refine their ideas beyond the competition framework.

After a rigorous evaluation process, ICAR-NAARM was declared the Winner of Ideathon 2026, while SCMS secured the Runner-Up position. Prizes and certificates were awarded to the winning teams, and participation certificates were provided to all eligible participants.

The event concluded successfully with active engagement, insightful presentations, and strong interdisciplinary collaboration. Ideathon 2026 reinforced the culture of innovation and entrepreneurial mindset within and beyond SIBM Hyderabad.

(Caption for Photo 1: Winners of Ideathon 2026 – Team ICAR-NAARM receiving the Winner’s Certificate at SIBM Hyderabad )

(Caption for Photo 2: Runner-Up Team – SCMS being felicitated during Ideathon 2026 at the Lecture Theatre, SIBM Hyderabad )