InMobi, a global technology enabler, and the Government of Uttar Pradesh has launched AI Kaushal Hackathon 2026, a high-impact collaborative platform designed to accelerate creation of cutting-edge AI solutions for complex real-world challenges. Aligned with India’s national AI vision, registrations for the event are open for students, startups, accelerators and professionals residing in Uttar Pradesh, until November 20, with the grand hackathon finals scheduled for December 8–9 at IIIT Lucknow.
Moving beyond standard ideation, AI Kaushal connects the triad of government, industry, and academia to engineer practical, responsible, and scalable AI applications. Participants will submit use cases for rigorous evaluation, after which shortlisted teams will receive expert mentorship leading into a 24-hour on-site build at IIIT Lucknow. The hackathon will culminate on December 9 with a prize ceremony awarding ₹1 lakh to each of the top five winning teams. Crucially, the initiative secures a long-term economic runway: top-tier prototypes will be directly evaluated for validation, scaling, and institutional deployment alongside Uttar Pradesh Government departments and premier industry partners.
Speaking on the occasion, Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary IT & Electronics, Uttar Pradesh said, “Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Yogi Adityanath ji, Uttar Pradesh is advancing its ambition to become a leading hub for artificial intelligence, innovation and technology-led growth, with young people at the heart of this transformation. We welcome InMobi’s AI Kaushal Hackathon, with IIIT Lucknow as the academic partner, as a valuable initiative that brings industry expertise and academic talent together to address real-world challenges. It will give our students, developers, and entrepreneurs an opportunity to translate AI skills into practical solutions for better public services and wider economic opportunities. Our aspiration is to see promising ideas move beyond the hackathon towards further evaluation, mentorship and potential pilots with relevant departments, helping build a sustained pipeline of responsible AI innovation that benefits the people of Uttar Pradesh.”
“Technology is at its most potent when visionary ideas and simple, elegant execution converge to solve massive, real-world problems,” said Mohit Saxena, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, InMobi. “Uttar Pradesh is rapidly rising as the next frontier of tech growth in India, and we are betting big on the unmatched engineering talent here in UP. AI Kaushal is designed to give these builders the sandbox, mentorship, and enterprise pathways they need to come out with innovative ideas and applications, not only to address the requirements for the state of Uttar Pradesh, but also to scale globally from India’s heartland.”
“Uttar Pradesh’s young minds should have the opportunity not only to learn AI, but to actively build with it,” said Dr. Subi Chaturvedi, Global SVP, Chief Corporate Affairs & Public Policy Officer at InMobi. “Through AI Kaushal program and the Hackathon, we are uniting grassroots talent, world-class mentorship, and real-world public-private problem statements alongside the Government of Uttar Pradesh and our academic partner, IIIT Lucknow. This initiative anchors our deep commitment to Uttar Pradesh—turning a 24-hour hackathon into the launchpad for sustained innovation, economic growth, and technology deployed for public good.”
This initiative reinforces InMobi’s commitment to the economic and technological transformation of Uttar Pradesh. Following the inauguration of its state-of-the-art technology centre in Lucknow last year, the company has already scaled its local workforce. InMobi’s Lucknow hub serves as a critical engine for global innovations in Generative AI, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), industrial automation, and large-scale AI infrastructure.
This institutional momentum also reflects a personal commitment of InMobi’s leadership to strengthen the region’s educational and technology ecosystem. Last year, Naveen Tewari, Founder and CEO of InMobi, personally committed ₹30 crore as part of a ₹100 crore pledge by IIT Kanpur’s Class of 2000 alumni to establish a dedicated school at the institute focussed on the intersection of technology and societal impact.
