Registration open · closes 31 October, 4:00 PM IST

ProjectVertex 2026

Build what matters.

India's National Product Innovation Challenge

Don't build a project for marks.
Build a product that solves a real problem.

Teams are taught first and build second — three hours of hands-on AI training, then twenty-four hours to ship. Every team leaves with a working prototype.

  • Teams of 3–5
  • Every discipline
  • 31 October – 1 November
  • Paid internship for the winning team
Register your team Read the challenge

No prior AI experience needed. The Builder Bootcamp starts from fundamentals, and it is included.

Registration closes in

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A full lecture hall of students working on laptops during a generative AI workshop

Next Chapter Skills · in the field

We already teach AI in rooms like this one. ProjectVertex is what happens next.

Generative AI workshop delivered by Next Chapter Skills at KL University.

The Student Startup Factory

The sprint ends on 4 November. For some teams, that is the start.

ProjectVertex is how we find the teams we want to keep working with.

Next Chapter Skills runs the Student Startup Factory — a programme for student teams who can actually ship. The sprint is how we find them. Twenty-four hours on a real problem tells us more about a team than any application form ever could: who scopes properly, who keeps going when the first approach fails, who still cares about the user at 4am.

Teams that show real execution, product thinking and technical capability carry on after the results are announced. That means product reviews, technical guidance from people who ship for a living, collaboration and internship routes, and a place in the innovation programmes we run next. What you build stays yours — the repository, the prototype, the ranking. What we offer is the part that comes after.

So this is not a normal hackathon, and the difference is mostly in the order things happen.

a theme, and you are left to it three hours of training, then a real problem
judged on the pitch scored out of 100 against a published rubric
strong teams go home with a certificate strong teams continue into the Student Startup Factory
experienced teams start ahead no prior AI experience assumed, of anyone

Selection into the Student Startup Factory is an opportunity for continued development. It is not a guaranteed commercial or funding commitment.

The challenge

We don't hand you a technology. We hand you a problem.

Two tracks. Choose one when you register — how you solve it is entirely yours.

Track 01

Build for People

“Students spend three years preparing for placements and still cannot tell which skill to learn next. Build something that helps a real person move forward.”
Track 02

Build for Industry

“Small businesses lose hours every week to repetitive work nobody should be doing by hand. Build an AI-powered solution that gives that time back.”
What you leave with

Win or lose, every team walks away with all six of these.

Not entry perks. The things that are still worth something six months from now, when the certificate is in a drawer.

Registration closes 31 October at 4:00 PM IST. One payment covers your whole team.

Register your team — ₹399
How it runs

From the bootcamp to the showcase

  1. AI Builder Bootcamp

    Three hands-on hours so no team starts from zero. Attend before the sprint.

  2. Product Sprint opens

    Challenge brief, starter repositories, prompt libraries and the evaluation framework released.

  3. Submission deadline

    Prototype, repository, a ten-slide deck and a three-minute demo. Late entries are not accepted.

  4. National evaluation

    Every submission scored against the same published rubric.

  5. Showcase & results

    Top teams present nationally. Every registered builder receives a certificate.

Academic background

  • Engineering — B.Tech / B.E.
  • Degree — B.Sc. / BCA / B.Com
  • Diploma programmes
  • MBA / MCA
  • Any student of a recognised institution

Team rules

  • 3 to 5 members per team
  • Cross-institution teams permitted
  • Solo registrations are not accepted
  • One member is the team lead and receives all communications

Mandatory

  • Working prototype
  • GitHub repository
  • Presentation — 10 slides maximum
  • Demo video — 3 minutes maximum

The deck must cover

  • Problem · solution · target users
  • Revenue model · future scope
  • AI architecture — models, tools, frameworks

Out of 100

Problem statement15
Innovation20
AI implementation20
Technical execution20
UI / UX10
Business potential10
Presentation5
Total100

What that means in practice

Sixty of the hundred marks sit in innovation, AI implementation and technical execution — what you actually built. Presentation is worth five. A team that ships something real and demos it plainly will out-score a polished pitch.

The full rubric and conduct policy are in the Rulebook.

Recognition

The winning team earns a paid internship.

National Champion (No. 1 team) — stipend-based, technical wingInternship
Every registered builderCertificate
WhereTechnical wing

The No. 1 team is selected for a stipend-based internship in our technical wing. Every team takes a product, a score and a certificate home. The awards sit this far down the page on purpose.

Alongside the internship we name six special recognitions — Best AI Product, Best Startup Potential, Best UI/UX, Best Social Impact, People's Choice and Future Founder. These carry a certificate and a showcase feature.

Teams of 3–5, any discipline. Three minutes to register, one payment for everyone.

Register your team — ₹399
Before you register

The questions we actually get asked

Something not covered? Message us on WhatsApp — a person replies.

Per team, including GST. One payment of ₹399 covers your whole team of 3–5 — the Builder Bootcamp, the full sprint, the kickoff resources, engineering support and a certificate for every registered member. There are no further charges.

Yes — it is the case we designed for. The AI Builder Bootcamp runs for three hours before the sprint opens and covers LLMs, prompt engineering and building a working assistant from scratch. Nothing assumes prior experience.

Teams must have 3 to 5 members. Cross-institution teams are permitted and solo registrations are not accepted. Open to engineering, degree, diploma, MBA and MCA students at any recognised institution.

Format and venue details are sent by email and WhatsApp once your registration is confirmed. Use an email address and phone number your team checks, so nothing is missed.

Immediately after payment is confirmed — shown on screen and emailed to the team lead. If it has not arrived within ten minutes, check your spam folder or message us on WhatsApp with your team name.

Your team does. Submitting grants us the right to showcase your product and use it for evaluation. Any further collaboration is discussed separately and agreed in writing.

No. It runs 31 October – 1 November, outside teaching hours, and students register themselves in their own teams. No lab time, no faculty time, no budget, no MoU, and your department is never invoiced.

Get in touch and we will arrange group registration, a faculty briefing and material for your notice boards. After the event your department receives a written participation report of its teams, participants and results, and every certificate is independently verifiable — both suitable for student records and accreditation evidence. Email info@nextchapterskills.com or message us on WhatsApp.

Official documents

The complete rules and the practical guide for the weekend. Both are PDFs.

Official Rulebook Eligibility, team rules, deliverables, evaluation, conduct and IP policy. PDF Builder Guide The weekend in practice — sprint plan, submission checklist and common mistakes. PDF
Registration

Register your team

Three minutes. One payment for the whole team. Closes 31 October, 4:00 PM IST.

Team information

Your builders

Add 3–5 members. Member 1 is the team lead and receives the Team ID and all communications.

Member 1

Review & pay

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You're in

Your team is registered. A confirmation email is on its way to the team lead.

Team ID —
Builder Bootcamp: 31 Oct · 18:00–21:00 IST
Product Sprint: 31 Oct 21:00 → 1 Nov 21:00 IST
Venue and resources go to the team lead's email. Check spam if nothing arrives within ten minutes.

Build what matters.

Registration closes 31 October at 4:00 PM IST.

Register your team

₹399 per team, including GST

info@nextchapterskills.com +91 93530 36483
₹399 per team · incl. GST
Register now
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