Registrations are invited for HST Grand Challenge 2023 by IIT Mandi. The last date of registration is 5 August.
HST 2023 promises to be bigger and better with the kind of traction it is garnering in the country’s far reaches. Founders of renowned startups, industry experts, and angel investors have been brought on board to ensure the event is ripe with the right mix of flavors from the startup arena. Mentoring on high-tech topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Social Impact ventures will provide sufficient food for thought during the two days to the budding innovators and entrepreneurs.
Like last year, this year too HST will feature the ‘HST Grand Challenge’ – startup pitch competition in three thematic areas. The grand challenge is focused on identifying and catalysing ideas and innovations that will amplify startups’ efforts and impact.
Human Computer Interaction (HCI)
The new age alliance through Human-computer interaction (HCI) is all about enhancing humans’ cognitive and decision-making capacity through the use of technology without disrupting the natural order of events. This challenge aims to promote the use of intelligent interfaces and technologies in daily order of routine as well as in the complex business and social decision-making processes.
The multidisciplinary field of HCI focuses on the design of computer technology and, in particular, the interaction between humans (the users) and computers. While initially concerned with computers, HCI has since expanded to cover almost all forms of information technology design. The focus of HCI is to use computer’s intelligence and computation capabilities in decision making, prediction, estimation, communication, and processing.
The Foothill Innovators Challenge – Build for Himalayas
This thematic area is for innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs that have the intent and the passion to build technology-based solutions for solving the social, economic, and ecological problems facing Himalayan regions of the world. The problems should sharply focus on addressing the issues relevant to the local terrain, population, environment, ecology, or focus on taking local products and offerings to the world by building supply chains, storages, or build capacity at different value chain levels. Further solutions focusing on rural development issues such as education and literacy, skilling, local e-marketplaces, will fit into this thematic area.
The Habitable World Challenge – Environment and Sustainability
The past few decades have witnessed a devastating effect on the environment because of human intervention in nature’s life cycle. Our world’s natural resources are constantly depleting, and there’s a dire need to preserve these resources. This theme of HST Grant Challenge aims to enable startups and innovators who strive to make the world more livable and habitable place for all species. The specific problem statements of interest under this theme include clean & renewable energy, waste management, e-vehicles, green solutions, recycling, natural resource management. However, the innovators and startups that are building solutions aligning with the UN-Sustainable Development Goals are welcome to apply under this challenge.
Interested candidates can register for Grand Challenge via this page.
| Day 1: September 29, 2023 | Friday | |
|---|---|
| Time | Agenda |
| 8:30 AM -10:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Pitching Grand Finale (Close Door) (Three thematic panels – Parallel) |
| 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Networking Hi-Tea |
| 7:00 PM onwards | Networking Dinner |
| 9:00 PM onwards | Track I: Investor Panel for Catalyst Portfolio Startups |
| 9:00 PM onwards | Track II: Master Class for Startups |
| Day 2 : September 30, 2023 | Saturday | |
|---|---|
| 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Inaugural Session |
| 11:00 AM – 11:40 AM | Keynote address 1 |
| 11:40 AM – 12:10 PM | Keynote address 2 |
| 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Networking Lunch |
| 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM | Thematic areas panel discussion Panel 1: Human computer interaction Panel 2 : Build for Himalayas Panel 3 : Environment and Sustainaility |
| 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM | Speed dating for startups |
| 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM | Cultural Evening |
| 8:00 PM onwards | Dinner |
| Day 3 : October 01, 2023 | Sunday | |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 10:00 AM -12:00 PM Noon | Mentors’ roundtable (Closed Door) |
| 12:00 PM onwards | Lunch |
| 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Prize Distribution & Valedictory Session |
Address: IIT Mandi, Kamand Campus, Himachal Pradesh-175005, India
Call: +91 7807090713 / 8091781808
Email: iitmandicatalyst@gmail.com
