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JAIN University’s Team InnovateX is the only Karnataka team among the Top 10 finalists at Deloitte Hacksplosion 2026.
The National Level Hackathon 2026 at Deloitte had over 21,910 registrants from engineering colleges across the country, and only 10 teams made it to the Grand Finale. FET, JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) Team InnovateX secured a place among these 10 teams, becoming the only team from Karnataka to do so.
Announced in May 2026 and based in Bengaluru, this is one of the most prestigious finishes in a national-level hackathon for a Karnataka engineering team this year. The competition commenced on 30 January 2026, at which point teams advanced through multiple elimination rounds, including a brand quiz and coding rounds, as well as idea submissions and semifinal evaluations, before receiving an expert assessment to determine the final 10.
Romal Shetty, the CEO of Deloitte South Asia, congratulated Team InnovateX on their creativity, technical prowess, and teamwork at the Grand Finale, and recognised them as a top qualifier representing the team at the national level.
Who are the Students behind Team InnovateX?
For the engineering students, perhaps watching from the sidelines, the makeup of the team adds to the significance of the accomplishment. The InnovateX team members are third-year undergraduate students (not final year, long-standing, competitive coders). They also come from three different branches of academia: Data Science (DS), Internet of Things (IoT) and Computer Science Engineering (CSE, General).
This multi-disciplinary structure was also purposeful. Having a team with a diverse range of data systems, connected devices, and programming puts the team in a realm that teams of one discipline struggle to reach. Undoubtedly, in a contest against competitors from the country's top institutions, this breadth of structuring was a convincing advantage.
Dr. Garima mentored the team at every stage of the contest, and his support through the competition was invaluable. The students also appreciated the leadership of Preethi Bhandary and Senthil at different stages of the Hackathon, as well as the consistent support and motivation from the University's Vice President.
Every Team Member Rectified an Internship: What This Means
The Grand Finale performance had a significant impact on students, given the real benefits of participating in hackathons: Team InnovateX members received internship offers for the first time after the event.
In a job market in which engineering students often wonder whether hackathons result in employment, the answer is - hackathons do indeed result in employment. Deloitte Hacksplosion is not a university-level competition with minimal industry interaction. It is a nationally organised event involving a top global professional services firm. Team members reached the finals and performed at a level that put them in front of the firm's decision-makers.
The internship offers a perspective on the Faculty of Engineering and Technology at JAIN University: that experiential learning focused on real industry problems (as opposed to academic theory) prepares students for much more than being placed through campus recruitment.
Lessons from Deloitte Hacksplosion 2026 for Engineering Students Interested in National Competitions
As students who study technology and engineering in India consider if national-level hackathons are worth the time and effort, the JUFET InnovateX journey serves as a helpful example. This particular hackathon started with over 21,000 participants and eliminated numerous candidates through a variety of difficult technical challenges in order to name ten finalists. It is worth noting that finalists were named for their consistent, excellent performance, not for a single brilliant submission.
The JAIN University’s Faculty of Engineering and Technology has been creating frameworks where students can get involved in competitions the faculty conducts years before the students even graduate. For students studying data science, IoT, CSE, and other engineering disciplines, this achievement shows that securing national-level prizes in industry-hosted hackathons is possible from state universities, not only from the historically recognised technical universities.
Additionally, this achievement builds on the already solid record of JUFET students in national-level technical competitions and continues to prove JAIN University’s Faculty of Engineering and Technology as a serious player in developing engineering talent through industry exposure.
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