Team Fluxelle, representing Khwopa College of Engineering, Bhaktapur, has emerged as the national champion of the Hult Prize Nepal 2026, one of the world’s largest student-led startup competitions, with its innovative and sustainable business idea focused on producing mushrooms from coffee waste.
The Hult Prize Nepal 2026 National Finals were held on Saturday at St. Xavier’s School, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, bringing together 46 teams and more than 160 participants from universities and colleges across Nepal. The competition served as a platform for young entrepreneurs to present innovative business solutions addressing environmental, social, and economic challenges.
Team Fluxelle impressed the judges with its circular economy-based concept that transforms discarded coffee waste into edible and organic mushroom cultivation products. The initiative aims to reduce environmental pollution caused by coffee waste while promoting sustainable agriculture and eco-friendly food production.
The winning team was selected after two highly competitive rounds, including a preliminary pitch session and a final evaluation round involving detailed presentations and one-on-one discussions with judges.
The judging panel consisted of 14 distinguished professionals and industry leaders from entrepreneurship, venture capital, technology, manufacturing, healthcare, and sustainable development sectors. The panel included:
Nikita Bajracharya – Dolma Impact Fund
Ritu Singh Vaidya – Vaidya’s Organization of Industry & Trading Houses (VOITH Group)
Shraddha Shrestha – Ministry for Women, Children and Senior Citizens
Aashish Thakur – Glocal
Darshana Shrestha – Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal (FWEAN)
Chewan Rai – Youth Thinkers’ Society and Che&Co
John B Park – Google and Product Vidhyalaya
Deepak KC – UNDP
Ujjyol Raj Singh – UBA Solutions
Sareesha Shrestha – Global Journal of Med and PH, Shahayatri
Pradip Sigdel – Adhyanta and BizHub Consulting
Abhinav Khemka – GridFlow
Sudarshan Subedi – British Council IELTS
Sandeep Kamat – Bosch Limited Nepal
As the national champion, Team Fluxelle received a cash prize of NPR 100,000 presented by the British Council and hosted by UBA Solutions Nepal. The team also secured NPR 50,000 in seed funding from the Confederation of Nepalese Industries Young Entrepreneurs Forum (CNIYEF), along with gift hampers, vouchers, and additional support from sponsors and partners.
The event was presented by the British Council and hosted by UBA Solutions Nepal with support from organizations and partners including BYD, CNIYEF, NYEF, NICCI, American Learning Centre (ALC) with University of Akron, Classic Tech, Draper Startup House, Embark College, and numerous startup, hospitality, lifestyle, and educational partners.
Media partners for the event included Artha Sarokar
Deshsanchar
Edusanjal
eKantipur
Good Nepal
ICT Frame
Image 97.9 Fm
Image Channel HD
Imagekhabar
Jupiter Media
Media Kurakani
Nepal in last 24 hours
Nepal Samacharpatra
New Business Age
The Annapurna Express
The Kathmandu Post
Following the national victory, Team Fluxelle will represent Nepal in the upcoming Hult Prize Global Accelerator Program later this year, competing alongside leading student entrepreneurs from around the world.
The Hult Prize is globally recognized for empowering young people to build socially impactful businesses capable of addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges through innovation and entrepreneurship.
