From School Friends to Startup Founders: How Hackathons Shaped Our Journey

Introduction

Some journeys begin in classrooms, others in boardrooms. Ours started in a school science exhibition hall with two friends, a handful of wires, and big dreams.

From being schoolmates since class 6th, experimenting with random YouTube project tutorials, to standing proudly on the national stage at SIH (Smart India Hackathon), our story proves one thing: innovation is not about where you start, but how far you’re willing to go.

This is the story of how curiosity turned into passion, how hackathons became our battleground, and how two friends went from being freshers with a prototype to founders of a Pvt. Ltd. company.

The Early Days: Friendship, Curiosity, and First Sparks

Back in class 6, while most kids were focused on homework and cricket matches, we were busy gluing wires, sensors, and cardboard pieces to make something that “looked like” a project. We weren’t engineers yet — just curious school kids who wanted to build something cool enough to show at science melas and exhibitions.

At first, we copied projects from YouTube — a line follower robot here, a simple buzzer alarm there. But over time, we began asking ourselves: “What if we mix two ideas? What if we do it differently?”

Those little tweaks gave us the first taste of original innovation.

The Turning Point: College and First Hackathon

After completing 12th from the same school, we did what we always did — stayed together. We took admission in the same engineering college.

And destiny had plans. During our orientation program, alumni shared their experiences about career paths, companies, and competitions. That’s when we first heard the word: Hackathon.

The concept sounded electrifying — a 24-hour innovation challenge, where students work day and night to solve real-world problems. We didn’t know much, but our gut told us: “This is for us.”

Just a few days later, on Engineer’s Day, our college announced its first hackathon. Despite being first-semester freshers, we decided to jump in.

The First Hackathon Experience

We had no big expectations — just the thrill of participating. But we also had one principle that would later become our USP in every hackathon:
👉 “Don’t just pitch an idea, show a working prototype.”

While seniors came with polished presentations, we brought something that worked — rough, messy, imperfect, but alive.

After 24 hours of sleepless coding, soldering, and debating, we presented our prototype. Judges looked impressed but we weren’t sure. At the award ceremony, when the anchor announced 2nd Prize goes to… us, the hall erupted.

That moment wasn’t just a win — it was validation. It proved that freshers could compete with seniors, and ideas could beat experience if executed right.

Building Momentum: Hackathon After Hackathon

That one victory became fuel. We started participating in every hackathon we could find. Some we won, some we lost, but every single one gave us:

• More confidence

• More teammates

• More lessons

Over the next two years, our small duo evolved into a team — Techno Tuners. Together, we went on to achieve:

• Winner – SIH 2023 (Hardware Edition)

• Winner – SIH 2024 (Software Edition)

• Robofest 4.0 Champion

• Top team in Hitachi 30 Hacks

• And many more hackathons across India

By the end of just five semesters, we had already won 20+ hackathons and earned over ₹21 Lakhs in prize money.