GUVI, TN govt join hands to empower over 5,500 students via hackathon
Out of the 5,555 students who received training, 2,885 participated in the hackathon, which was conducted as a three-level hybrid format — beginning with online assessments and culminating in offline finals across.
CHENNAI: GUVI, an IIT-Madras and IIM-Ahmedabad-incubated EdTech company, has partnered with the State government to upskill 5,555 students across TN under the Naan Mudhalvan scheme.
Launched in association with the TN Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC), the GUVI Hackathon 2025 aimed to bridge the skill gap in the technology sector by offering real-world exposure to students and helping them become industry-ready.
Out of the 5,555 students who received training, 2,885 participated in the hackathon, which was conducted as a three-level hybrid format — beginning with online assessments and culminating in offline finals across.
Level 1 had an online MCQ assessment (50 questions in 60 minutes) in which 2,885 students participated, and the top 564 advanced. There was an advanced online test (30 questions in 60 minutes) in the next level, in which 564 students competed, and 153 were selected. For the last level, an offline hackathon was held across three cities – Chennai, Thanjavur, and Kanniyakumari, where 153 finalists worked on real-world projects and presented their solutions. Top 33 performers were declared winners.
Arun Prakash, CEO and founder of GUVI, said, “At GUVI, we believe learning should be accessible, hands-on, and relevant to the times we live in. Through this partnership, we were able to train and inspire thousands of young minds to move beyond passive learning and start building real-world solutions. Together, we can build a pipeline of tech talent that’s ready to lead and not just follow in the digital economy.”
As an empanelled training partner under Naan Mudhalvan, GUVI was entrusted with designing and executing the hackathon. This builds on GUVI’s earlier success with the Naan Mudhalvan–Anna University Tamil Nadu Coders Premier League (NM-AU-TNcpl), which trained over 82,500 students in coding and IT skills.
M Jayaprakasan, CEO, Naan Mudhalvan initiative, TNSDC, said: “The scheme is designed to equip students with competitive skills. Our collaboration with GUVI ensures students don’t just learn theory — they apply it in real time. This is the essence of our Chief Minister’s vision, where youth are not just job-ready, but future-ready.”
Kalai Selvan Tirucami, former additional director, CUIC Anna University and advisor, Naan Mudhalvan, added, “In today’s world, fresher hiring has evolved; hackathons now play as much a role as campus placements. This initiative helps students showcase applied skills, making them visible to top recruiters and multinational companies.”
For the hackathon, participants underwent 45 hours of expert-led training, which emphasised on technical skills, creativity, and problem-solving, in over 12 sessions. The finale was graced by dignitaries, industry experts, media representatives, and senior leadership from GUVI and TNSDC.
“This hackathon gave students a platform to take bold steps into the world of innovation, and we’re proud to have played a role in shaping the next generation of change-makers,” said Balamurugan, co-founder, GUVI.
The 112 winners were felicitated with certificates of achievement, exciting tech gifts, and special recognition from GUVI for their outstanding performance and creativity.
What’s GUVI?
The inception of GUVI (Grab Your Vernacular Imprint) was a YouTube channel in 2011, in which Arun Prakash, Sridevi Arun Prakash and SP Balamurugan would share video tutorials, courses, and practice materials in regional languages. In 2014, they formed GUVI as an IIT-Madras incubated EdTech company, which offers industry-relevant tech courses, career programmes, and AI-powered learning tools in 19+ regional languages. GUVI bridges the digital skills gap for diverse learners across India and beyond.
