Rishihood Meets MIT, USA: 3-Day Health Hackathon Fuels Grassroots Solutions in India

PNN
New Delhi [India], December 3: Rishihood University's School of Entrepreneurship (SoEN) successfully organised a three-day Health Hackathon on Social Entrepreneurship at its campus and conducted a credit course for Rishihood learners as part of a week-long academic engagement under the mentorship of Prof. Jonathan Fleming from MIT Sloan School of Management and Prof. Vasudev Murthy, Executive Director, School of Entrepreneurship (SoEn). The combined initiative offered students an immersive, hands-on experience in building scalable, impact-driven solutions for pressing health challenges.
The intensive hackathon brought together 10 interdisciplinary teams comprising students from Rishihood's newly launched Mahesh Navani School of Brain, Body, and Behavior (MaNaS), School of Design, Rashtram School of Public Leadership, and the School of Entrepreneurship to tackle pressing challenges in India's healthcare ecosystem. The initiative aimed to develop scalable, low-cost, and technology-enabled solutions to improve healthcare access, affordability, and awareness in underserved communities.
Designed around the globally recognised MIT Hacking Medicine Framework, the program emphasised design thinking, rapid prototyping, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and business model validation. Over three immersive days, participants ideated, built prototypes, refined business plans, and pitched innovative solutions to a panel of academic experts and healthcare professionals.
The Health Hackathon was designed to drive innovation in healthcare through rapid prototyping, while promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration between students of entrepreneurship, policy, design and mental health. The programme encouraged participants to develop high-impact social startup ideas and immerse themselves in practical, real-world problem-solving aligned with India's evolving needs.
Over the course of the hackathon, more than 10 high-potential solutions were ideated, showcasing a strong integration of business strategy, design thinking and policy insights. Beyond concept development, the experience provided students with valuable exposure to the realities of social entrepreneurship globally, with several ideas now being considered for future incubation within Rishihood University's innovation and startup ecosystem.
Speaking on the initiative, Prof. Jonathan Fleming, MIT Sloan School of Management, said:
"What truly impressed me about the learners at Rishihood University was their optimism and belief in a better future for themselves, their communities, and for India. The Health Hackathon demonstrated how powerful interdisciplinary collaboration can be when students from public policy, design, social entrepreneurship, and engineering come together to solve real-world challenges. Innovation thrives when universities bring the real world into the classroom."
Prof. Vasudev Murthy, Executive Director, School of Entrepreneurship, added:
"This hackathon is aligned with Rishihood University's vision to nurture purpose-driven leaders and problem solvers who can ideate solutions for our nation. Our focus is not just on ideation, but on creating impactful, scalable solutions that can transform communities."
The Health Hackathon strongly reflected Rishihood University's commitment to developing socially conscious innovators and entrepreneurs. The jury evaluated all teams on the parameters of innovation, social impact, feasibility, and sustainability, ultimately declaring Air Sanjeevani as the winning solution. The team stood out for its drone-based medicine delivery system designed for remote and emergency-prone areas, demonstrating how drone technology can enable fast, contactless, and reliable access to essential medicines and vaccines, effectively reducing delays in critical care.
The runner-up positions were awarded to Samvrddhi, for its low-cost wearable health monitors supporting chronic disease management; HealthHero, an engaging health education gamification app that promotes hygiene, nutrition, and vaccination; and Jeewan Vada, an affordable micro-health insurance model integrated with Ayushman Bharat to strengthen healthcare access for low-income families.
The event also marked a significant step towards expanding health-focused social entrepreneurship within academic ecosystems, encouraging students to view entrepreneurship as a force for positive societal transformation.
About: Rishihood University
Rishihood University is reimagining higher education as a force for national transformation. It shapes learners for personal growth, professional excellence, and public impact in an industry-integrated, values-first learning environment. Rooted in Indian wisdom and global best practices, the university focuses on nurturing ethical leaders, innovators, and change-makers equipped to solve 21st-century challenges. With an interdisciplinary approach that integrates technology, entrepreneurship, design, mental well-being, and public policy; Rishihood aims to create a new generation of conscious professionals committed to national transformation.
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