In a spectacular feat of innovation and teamwork, Team CodeForce from Heritage Institute of Technology, Kolkata, emerged as the national winner of ‘Microsoft CodeForge 2025’, a prestigious 12-hour offline hackathon held on April 17, 2025. Organised by Microsoft in association with Azure Developer Community, WebForge and Reskill India, the event brought together over 2500+ student teams from across India, making it one of the biggest student hackathons of the year.
The hackathon wasn’t just a coding competition — it was a dynamic confluence of creativity, technology, and entrepreneurial spirit. The initial round saw around 250 teams shortlisted from over 2500 for the next phase. In the third round, only 20 teams managed to present working prototypes, battling it out for a place in the coveted grand finale.
Finally, six outstanding teams earned their spots at the top, and among them, Heritage’s Team CodeForce stole the show with their AI and IoT-based Web Safety Solutions project aimed at enhancing safety in public spaces.
Guided by Professor Raja Karmakar, Associate Professor & Head, Department of CSE (IoT & Cyber Security including Blockchain Technology), the winning team comprised Nabonil Bhattacharya, Sumit Saha, Nashrah Naazneen, and Srijanee Mitra, all second-year students from the department.
Professor Basab Chaudhuri, Principal, Heritage Institute of Technology, proudly shared, “It is a proud moment for the entire Heritage Family to witness that we won a national Level hackathon at Microsoft.”
PK Agarwal, CEO, Heritage Group of Institutions, also lauded the team’s achievement, adding, “This year the students had been making a presence in all the National Level Hackathons organized by various Institutions in the country. I congratulate team CodeForce for winning such a prestigious hackathon.”
The event reaffirmed the talent, innovation, and rising stature of young tech minds from HIT on the national stage.