KATHMANDU, April 16: Kathmandu University has hosted the Nepal Finale of the Harvard Health Hackathon, the signature event of a global network of health innovation hubs.
The two-day event organized by the Nepal Technology Innovation Center (NTIC) represents the first-ever Harvard-level health hackathon in Nepal positioning the country within a global network of health innovation hubs. Conducted under the Health Systems Innovation Lab, the hackathon brought together emerging innovators from across the country to address pressing healthcare challenges through technology, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence, accessibility, and system-level efficiency.
The event observed participation from prominent stakeholders, including KU Vice Chancellor of Prof Dr Achyut Wagle, Public Affairs Chief at the US Embassy Mike Harker, Deputy Country Director of KOICA Nepal ChoongHee Choi, and Chief Executive Officer of Dolma Impact Fund Tim Gocher.
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“This marks a defining moment for Nepal’s innovation ecosystem,” said NTIC Director, Prof Bim P Shrestha. Chief of Innovation at NTIC, Sanjiv Gupta added that the quality of ideas and participation demonstrated Nepal’s readiness to engage and compete at a global level.
The competition drew participation from more than 400 teams nationwide, from which 47 teams advanced through regional rounds held across multiple hubs. These finalists presented high-impact solutions in a highly competitive format, each delivering concise three-minute pitches.
Team ‘Second Eye’ (Latika, Samyam, Sahadev, Sandip and Sagar) emerged as the winner, followed by ‘AequiPulse’ (Aayush, Shubham, Krishna) as first runner-up and ‘EvoMoE’ (Sneha&Nidhi) as second runner-up. In addition, twenty promising ventures were identified as ‘Top Ventures to Watch,’ while ten teams will receive further mentoring and support. The top three teams will go on to represent Nepal at the international round, where leading global teams will compete for selection to the final showcase in Boston, USA.
NTIC has been expanding international collaboration with institutions including Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. The center invites institutions across Nepal to host future hubs and broaden access to innovation resources, reads a press release issued by the KU.
