Enlyft's overall culture is to "start simple and build solutions that deliver value now. Iterate Fast, Learn Faster, and Move quickly to test ideas to make improvements and team owns the results."
Keeping true to our culture, we decided to host our first-ever global team hackathon in our Pune office. The goal? To build something meaningful in just 48 hours. With participants flying in from different corners of the world and others joining remotely, we turned a simple idea into a high-energy, cross-functional innovation sprint.
Engineers, product managers, designers, data scientists, marketers, and customer success teams from across Enlyft came together for an intense burst of collaboration during the hackathon. The atmosphere was electric - coffee cups never empty, whiteboards packed with ideas and rough sketches, and Slack buzzing non-stop as teams worked around the clock.
🎯 Hackathon Theme
The challenge was straightforward but ambitious: identify a real problem, build a prototype, and present a working demo by the end of day two. With creativity unshackled and a collaborative spirit in full swing, what followed was a showcase of innovation, speed, and Enlyft's can-do mindset.
To guide the spirit of innovation and ensure alignment with Enlyft's broader goals, the leadership team set a clear and inspiring theme for the hackathon. Teams were encouraged to pursue ideas that embodied three key pillars:
- The most innovative approach
- Technically most challenging execution
- Strongest potential business impact
This theme pushed participants to think beyond quick wins to explore bold ideas, tackle complex technical challenges, and build solutions that could truly move the needle for our customers and the business!
🏆 Winning Teams and Great Rewards
A great competition calls for meaningful rewards, and our hackathon delivered. Teams that stood out in each of three key areas - Most Innovative Approach, Technically Most Challenging Execution, and Strongest Potential Business Impact - earned not just prizes, but recognition for pushing boundaries. These awards go beyond bragging rights; they reflect the creativity, teamwork, and ambition that drive everything we aim to achieve through the hackathon.
🤝 Final Teams and Dynamic Collaborations
As final teams came together, they brought a mix of engineers, product folks, designers, and data nerds - all focused on building something great in just a short span of time. Some teams formed naturally, others through intentional pairing across functions, leading to fresh ideas and surprising collaborations. That mix of skills and viewpoints added a real spark to the hackathon, making the whole experience more creative and high-energy.
The result? Seven powerhouse teams were formed, each rallying around bold ideas with strong potential, locked in and ready to dive headfirst into 48 hours of focused execution and creative chaos.
⏱️ Execution and 48 Hours of Madness
With only 48 hours to work with, the hackathon took off in a blur of code, coffee, whiteboard scribbles, and makeshift war rooms. Teams jumped straight into brainstorming, pulling late nights to squash bugs and fine-tune demos. Every minute mattered. It was fast, chaotic, and full of energy - driven by a shared drive to build something real in record time.
💡 Drafting the execution plan
Teams dove deep into planning, mapping out solutions and technical approaches
🧠 Brainstorming
Intensive ideation sessions to identify the most impactful solutions
👥 Leading from the front
Team leads driving innovation and keeping momentum high
🌐 Collaborating with remote teams
Seamless coordination with team members joining from different time zones
⚡ Behind the Scenes
The force behind the scenes who kept us fueled, hydrated, and hassle-free throughout the hackathon!
Our support team worked tirelessly to ensure participants could focus entirely on innovation, providing everything from fresh coffee to technical infrastructure support.
And yes, there were quick power naps too! 😊 Strategic rest breaks to maintain peak performance throughout the intensive 48-hour sprint.
🚀 Getting ready for final showcase
Teams put the finishing touches on their presentations, preparing to demonstrate not just what they built, but the journey of innovation that led them there. The energy was palpable as teams prepared to showcase their 48-hour journey of creation.
🎤 Demos and Pitch Perfect: 20 Minutes to Shine
A great idea is only as powerful as its presentation. With 20 minutes on the clock, each team had the opportunity to dive deeper - pitching their concept, walking through their thought process, and showcasing a live demo. This extended time allowed for richer storytelling and more nuanced demonstrations, resulting in engaging, insightful presentations that truly impressed the judges.
🌄 Post-Hackathon Outing to Celebrate and Rejuvenate
After two days of full-throttle innovation, teams deserved a well-earned break. To celebrate everyone's efforts and help unwind, we planned an outstation outing - a chance to leave laptops behind, relax in nature, and reconnect with peers outside the work setting. It was a time for laughter, reflection, and rejuvenation before diving back into regular routines, refreshed and inspired.
🎯 Impact and Key Takeaways
Our inaugural global hackathon was more than just a successful event—it was a catalyst for ongoing innovation at Enlyft. The enthusiasm, creativity, and collaborative spirit demonstrated during those 48 hours continue to influence how we approach challenges and build solutions.
- Seven innovative prototypes developed in just 48 hours
- Cross-functional collaboration across global teams
- Multiple solutions with potential for production implementation
- Strengthened team bonds and cultural alignment
- Proven remote-first collaboration capabilities
- Recognition for innovation across three key categories
As we plan future hackathons, we're excited to build on this foundation, continuing to foster an environment where bold ideas can quickly become valuable solutions. Because at Enlyft, innovation isn't a destination—it's the journey itself.
Want to be part of our next hackathon?
Join our growing engineering team and help shape the future of B2B intelligence. We're always looking for passionate innovators who share our commitment to building solutions that deliver value now.
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