St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) hosted the second edition of its national-level startup and business hackathon “XavSpark 2.0” on March 19, 2026 at the university campus.

Organized by the Institutional Innovation Council (IIC) in collaboration with the Centre for Incubation, Consultancy & Entrepreneurship (CICE) of SXUK, the event brought together students, young innovators, and startup enthusiasts from premier institutes like IIT–BHU, IIM Bodh Gaya, SCMHRD, Jadavpur University, VIT-AP, Amity University, and SRMIST, etc.

The hackathon aimed to provide an incubatory platform for budding entrepreneurs to pitch disruptive ideas and develop feasible, market-ready business solutions.

Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Vice-Chancellor of SXUK delivered the inaugural address, urging students to think boldly and convert their ideas into ventures with real-world impact. Dignitaries and jury members were felicitated for their contributions to the programme.

The jury panel for the final round comprised Dr. Arijit Bhattacharya, serial entrepreneur and angel investor; Dr. Deboshi De, CEO of Smart Management Consultancy; and Dr. Gautam Dutta from SXUK.

Alongside the main hackathon, the event featured multiple competitive activities, designed to assess communication clarity, coding aptitude, and strategic acumen of participants respectively.

In the Business Hackathon, Oillovators from the Institute of Engineering & Management, Kolkata secured the first prize (₹40,000). Team Podhey from SXUK was declared first runner-up (₹30,000), while NeuroDrive from FORE School of Management, New Delhi took the second runner-up position.

In Pitch it Plain, Shri Shikshayatan College claimed the top spot, followed by the Institute of Business Management, Jadavpur University, and SXUK.

In Boardroom Blitz, SXUK won the first prize, Sister Nivedita University bagged the first runner-up position, and SXUK secured the second runner-up spot.

In the Clean Code Relay, UEM (Team 4) won the first prize, Heritage Academy took the first runner-up position, and UEM (Team 5) emerged as second runner-up.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Monalika Dey.

Prof. Soma Sur

President, IIC & Hony. Director, LCERI