By Yuktha P S —

From Scratch to Success: Our Hackathon Journey

From Scratch to Success: Our Hackathon Journey

Life in college is full of firsts—first joys, first delights, first fears, first regrets, first rejections, and so much more. These past 2 years have been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride of experiences. But 2025 began with a bang, marking my first win.

Introduction

Hi, I’m Yuktha P S, a junior-year engineering student and AI/ML enthusiast. Let’s connect on LinkedIn and GitHub

Speaking of "firsts", let me introduce the team that started it all—Alfiya, Chetan, and me. This is the first team I began my hackathon journey with, and I couldn’t be happier to still be here with them. Together, we’ve grown from knowing absolutely nothing to overcoming "skill issues" and now, celebrating as winners of the AI Sponsor Prize at NITK Surathkal’s Hackverse 5.0. This hackathon wasn’t just a competition; it was an opportunity to push boundaries, explore new ideas, and discover our true potential.

How It All Began

It all started when one of our seniors, Ashutosh Pandey, shared that registrations for Hackverse 5.0 at NITK Surathkal were open in our Point Blank community group. Initially, we were hesitant to register—our semester-end exams were looming, and there was a strong chance the dates might overlap with the hackathon. Despite this, my teammate had an optimistic gut feeling. Taking a leap of faith, we decided to register and hope for the best.

As luck would have it, Chetan’s instincts were spot on. Our semester exams were scheduled for later. With that, we began planning our travel to Surathkal, joined by a few more enthusiastic teams from the Point Blank community.

However, we had one major hurdle—we were absolutely clueless about what to build. That’s when inspiration struck during a casual, late-night conversation with Shreyas and a few other friends at the Airbnb. What started as an offhand chat quickly evolved into the spark for our project: InvestBuddies.

InvestBuddies: The Idea

InvestBuddies is a platform designed to revolutionize investing in startups by enabling collaborative investing among groups of friends. Our mission was to blend both theoretical and practical concepts for novice investors. To achieve this, we:

  • Integrated an AI-powered financial advisor to guide users toward making wise decisions.
  • Gamified the learning process through a daily quiz feature, helping users maintain streaks and stay engaged.

The First 12 Hours: Setting the Stage

The first 12 hours flew by in a blur of setting up the project, brainstorming, and planning. With so many ideas and possibilities, time seemed to slip through our fingers. In the midst of the hustle, we took a well-deserved break and visited the NITK beach.

The sunset there was nothing short of magical. The vibrant hues of the setting sun against the horizon left me awestruck and emotional. That moment, standing on the shore and soaking in the tranquility, gave me a renewed sense of purpose and energy for the challenge ahead.

The Next 12 Hours: Crunch Time

The remaining 12 hours were nothing short of a rollercoaster. We worked tirelessly to integrate our platform with a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) application. I took it upon myself to dive into the documentation for Plotch and Groclake, pushing my limits to implement AI-driven features that could answer follow-up questions on the daily quiz.

The pace was intense, but the thrill of problem-solving and innovation kept us going. Our team’s synergy and determination were incredible, and we knew we were building something special.

The Final Reward

All our hard work paid off when we made it to the top 10 projects among some truly amazing submissions. This recognition earned us the opportunity to pitch our idea in the seminar hall. Our teammate Alfiya delivered an exceptional presentation, showcasing the essence and potential of InvestBuddies. We won the Best AI Implementation award by Plotch.ai, a recognition that made all the effort I put into building and integrating the AI features truly worth.

Lessons and Reflections

This experience wasn’t just about the project; it was about the journey, the people, and the memories. One of the biggest takeaways was realizing the importance of balancing hard work with moments of joy. These 4 days were a mix of intense effort and spontaneous fun, and they will forever hold a special place in my heart.

I also had the chance to tick off some items from my bucket list during this trip, making it even more special and added a unique charm to the journey.

I learned that some of life’s best moments come from unplanned adventures. Whether it’s a sudden beach trip or late-night snacks with friends, these spontaneous experiences create memories you’ll cherish forever. Working alongside amazing friends makes even the toughest challenges enjoyable. Their support can transform any stressful situation into something unforgettable.

It’s also crucial to sometimes set aside your worries and go with the flow. Life’s unpredictability often leads to the stories you’ll tell for years to come.