The Hult Prize 2025/26 at Khwopa Engineering College (KhEC) successfully concluded its Grand Finale held on January 3, 2026, at 4:00 PM in Hall 1, Block A. The six-hour event featured seven outstanding finalist teams competing for the campus championship and the opportunity to represent KhEC at the national level.
Under the leadership of Campus Director Ms. Angelika Bhattarai and the Event Management Team led by Mr. Mukesh Prasad Sah, the Grand Finale marked the successful culmination of a vibrant journey that began with an orientation session in November 2025. The competition engaged over 120 students through more than 15 events and reached thousands more via digital platforms.
The program, hosted by EMCEEs Isha Khatri, Bijen Lawoju, Rajat Prajapati, and Binita Banjara, began with the National Anthem and traditional Khada presentations to honor the esteemed judges and guests.
The judges were formally introduced, highlighting their diverse expertise: Dr. Bhojraj Ghimire, Assistant Professor of Technology Coordinator- M.Phil in ICT Faculty of Science, Health and Technology, Lead Auditor of ISO 27001 : 2013, Scientific Committee Member at Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, General Secretary at Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CSRI), Nepal Open University; Mr. Nirdesh Dwa, CEO at Veda and Angel Investor; Mrs. Snehalata Raut Thapa, CEO at Sparkle Kids Academy and Mr. Sujan Lawaju, Co-Founder at Kaarya, Senior Growth Manager at Whitehat Engineering.
Following acknowledgment of sponsors and partners, the EMCEEs presented an overview emphasizing the Grand Finale's significance as the culmination of the entire Hult Prize journey at KhEC. They traced the journey from the formation of the 19-member organizing committee through the successful orientation session, multiple student engagement initiatives, including help desks and college day stalls, and comprehensive learning sessions on Design Thinking, Business Model Canvas, Market Analysis, and Storytelling.
The pitching session featured all seven finalist teams—Team Horizon Fury, Team AR^2, Team DeBig4, Team Apocalypse, Team Flarepoint, Team Rookie and Team Rebuild Roadways—presenting their startup concepts before the judging panel. Each team delivered a four-minute pitch outlining their problem statement, proposed solution, business model, and intended social or environmental impact, followed by four minutes of question-and-answer interaction. The judges asked targeted questions to clarify implementation strategies, scalability, revenue models, operational feasibility, and competitive positioning. These structured interactions allowed judges to evaluate each team's depth of research, clarity of execution, adaptability under pressure, and critical thinking ability while ensuring fairness and consistency across all presentations.
Each team presented a crisp four-minute pitch highlighting their problem statement, innovative solution, business model, and social/environmental impact, followed by a four-minute Q&A session with the judges. During the judges’ deliberation after the lunch break, the KHEC Music Circle entertained the audience with beautiful traditional Nepali songs.
The Award Distribution and Closing Ceremony commenced with Deputy Campus Director Ms.Kripa Thapa acknowledging the dedication and growth demonstrated by all finalist teams. Team DeBig4 was announced as Second Runner-Up, receiving gift hampers and partner-sponsored rewards.
A Token of Love ceremony honored the judges for their expertise and valuable feedback, with each judge receiving an appreciation token from Campus Director Ms. Angelika Bhattarai. Team AR^2 was announced as the First Runner-Up and was awarded sponsored gifts, discount vouchers, and college merchandise.
In the most anticipated announcement, Team Horizon Fury was declared the winner of Hult Prize KhEC 2025/26 and will represent the institution at the National Round. The winning team received the championship trophy, along with comprehensive sponsored rewards, including merchandise, hosting vouchers, full-course scholarships, entertainment passes, and gift hampers. The remaining finalist teams received certificates and partner-sponsored benefits in appreciation of their performance.
A special Token of Love ceremony recognized the 19-member Organizing Committee, acknowledging the leadership members and all team leads for their months of dedication and behind-the-scenes coordination.
In her closing remarks, Campus Director Ms. Angelika Bhattarai congratulated all participants and encouraged them to keep refining their ideas. She highlighted how the skills gained through the Hult Prize- creativity, problem-solving, adaptability, and confidence - will serve them throughout their careers.
The Grand Finale successfully achieved its objective of identifying Team Horizon Fury as the campus champion through a rigorous, transparent competition. The seamless execution reflects the dedication of the organizing committee, whose coordinated efforts created an inspiring event celebrating innovation, journey, resilience, and teamwork. The Hult Prize at KhEC 2025/26 has established a strong foundation for continued innovation and entrepreneurship, inspiring future generations of problem-solvers and changemakers within the college community.
