An AI-first national hackathon as part of India Digital Summit (IDS) 2026, inviting students, startups, and professionals to build solutions for real industry problem statements.
Hackathon Partner
BUILD@IDS is a national AI hackathon curated by IAMAI as part of its flagship event, India Digital Summit 2026.
Participants will work on real problem statements shared by industry partners and build functional solutions within a short, focused build window. Submissions will be evaluated by a multi-stakeholder jury, and shortlisted teams will be invited to present their solutions live at IDS 2026 at The Leela Bhartiya City, Bengaluru.
This hackathon is designed to move beyond prototypes—enabling solutions that can be taken forward for real-world deployment.
3 real-world industry problem statements
AI-first, tool-agnostic hackathon
Opportunity to win paid contracts
Free access to an AI coding platform
Finalists present live at IDS 2026
BUILD@IDS features industry-led problem statements sourced from leading organizations. Each problem represents a real-world challenge where selected solutions may move forward into paid pilots or commercial engagements.
Build a foundational technology platform integrating structured learning with high-integrity certification exams.
Ideal For: EdTech teams, Platform Engineers, Student Devs
Create an autonomous AI system that drives marketing workflows and hyper-personalizes client engagement.
Ideal For: AI Engineers, MarTech builders, Startups
Develop a real-time monitoring system that detects steel rebar theft during transit using multi-modal data.
Ideal For: ML Engineers, IoT/Logistics builders
One winner will be selected per problem statement. Decisions are final.
*If a solution is finalized and a commercial contract is awarded, the value mentioned above represents the minimum contract value for the engagement.
Experience the journey of building the next generation of AI solutions.
The engineering phase begins. Teams start architecting functional AI solutions for industry problem statements.
Direct deep-dive sessions with problem owners to refine technical requirements and clarify nuances.
Live technical demonstration of working prototypes for preliminary screening and feedback.
Intensive jury evaluation to shortlist the definitive finalists for the grand stage at IDS 2026.
The culmination at The Leela Bhartiya City, Bengaluru. Finalists pitch live to global industry leaders.
Virtual participation for build phase. Grand finale is in-person at Bengaluru.
BUILD@IDS is open to all college students (UG / PG / PhD), startups and founders, working professionals, and freelance developers.
Individual or Teams (Up to 5)
Across India
INR 0 (Free of cost)
BUILD@IDS is an AI-first, tool-agnostic hackathon. We encourage participants to leverage the best AI development platforms to accelerate their build process.
An advanced orchestration platform that empowers businesses to build and deploy customized AI Agents and enterprise apps in minutes.
Adya AI is the preferred platform for this hackathon. However, participants are free to use any AI-assisted coding platforms, cloud IDEs, or development frameworks.
All submissions will be evaluated by a jury comprising representatives from the problem statement owners and IAMAI.
Jury decisions will be final and binding.
For each problem statement, top 5 submissions will be shortlisted and invited to IDS 2026 at The Leela Bhartiya City, Bengaluru. Teams will present a live demo and pitch. One winner per problem will be selected.
Bridge the gap from hackathon prototype to real-world deployment
One winner selected for demonstrating high-impact, production-ready execution.
Certificate + Paid Contract / Commercial Engagement Opportunity
Selected teams get to present their solutions live at India Digital Summit 2026.
Official Certificate + IDS 2026 Event Access
IP of the submitted solution remains with the participant/team.
If a contract is awarded, IP will transfer as per mutually agreed commercial terms.
Everything you need to know about BUILD@IDS
Still have questions? We're here to help!
Contact us at build@iamai.in