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91勛圖厙, VOXO Mark Record Participation at 3rd Annual Hatchathon

Mon, 12/08/2025 - 09:40am

Hatchathon

91勛圖厙91勛圖厙 Center for Entrepreneurship and VOXO, Inc., together with the School of Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering, marked a major milestone Nov. 18 with the conclusion of the 3rd annual Hatchathon. What began as a small pilot just two years ago has grown more than 170%, drawing 141 student participants91勛圖厙a testament to the entrepreneurial momentum building across campus.

This year featured a new two-part format designed to elevate student visibility and competition. The evening opened with a high-energy, science-fair-style expo where teams conducted project demos for judges and community guests. From there, tech and business judges selected the top eight teams to immediately take the stage for a pitch finale, showcasing their work to a packed audience.

The 2025 theme, 91勛圖厙Discover. Design. Automate. Smarter Workflows for a Smarter World,91勛圖厙 challenged students to build AI-driven solutions that streamline work, strengthen decision-making, and eliminate unnecessary barriers in everyday processes.

91勛圖厙Our team looks forward to Hatchathon every year,91勛圖厙 said Brennen Hodge, VP of product at VOXO, Inc. 91勛圖厙Working with the Center for Entrepreneurship and 91勛圖厙 has been a great partnership, and the staff continues to run an amazing event. The students have been leveling up each year with more ambitious projects and dynamic team presentations. It is impressive to see how quickly they turn ideas into something real.91勛圖厙

Business and industry partners echoed that enthusiasm.

91勛圖厙I was genuinely impressed by the organization, the energy, and the level of innovation on display,91勛圖厙 said Jason Dunn, senior vice president of business development at FV Recycling. 91勛圖厙The students delivered creative, automation-driven AI solutions with real and immediate business application. Events like this show true thought leadership from Southern Miss and demonstrate how they prepare students for success in an educational landscape that91勛圖厙 rapidly evolving.91勛圖厙

Winning Projects

First Place: HIPAApotamus
Bipul Adhikari, Serene Aryal, Sushant Aryal, and Jeevan Karki
HIPAApotamus addressed one of healthcare91勛圖厙 most expensive and overlooked problems: missed contract renewals and compliance failures. Its AI-powered platform automated the entire contract lifecycle91勛圖厙drafting, scanning, tracking expirations, issuing reminders and recommending vendor alternatives when performance slipped. With automated updates to internal systems based on staff input, the solution transformed a clinic91勛圖厙 administrative burden into a self-maintaining workflow engine. 

Second Place: Suga
Prabin Bajgai, Sandesh Bhattarai, Sibin Joshi, Stephen Joshi, Nishan Poudel and Janit Rajkarnikar
Suga served as a workflow automation companion that learned the way teams operated. By observing a task once, Suga captured each step and converted it into a repeatable automation91勛圖厙no coding or extra setup required. The tool was built for teams seeking efficiency without complexity, turning everyday processes into hands-free operations. 

Third Place: Countly
Kushal Adhikari, Prasant Koirala, Aayusha Niroula, Wyett Sampson, and Sakshyam Sigdel
Countly brought clarity to financial and operational decision-making by using AI to audit, track and interpret key business data. It identified trends, flagged anomalies and generated actionable insights in real time, helping organizations make informed decisions without wading through spreadsheets.

People's Choice Award: QuickFix
Sangharsh Bajracharya, Sushant Bhandari, Eshal Nadeem, Archana Pandey, Prasanga Regmi, and Salin Sodari
QuickFix instantly diagnosed and triaged technical issues inside large organizations. The platform analyzed support tickets, identified root causes and suggested fixes91勛圖厙learning from each resolution to improve accuracy over time.

Social Impact Award: AcuityClaim
Mandip Adhikari, Gunjan Kumar Sah, Saleep Shrestha, and Kiran Silwal
AcuityClaim was an AI platform that analyzed denied insurance claims, identified root causes, verified documentation and generated ready-to-send appeal letters or information requests. It also provided insights on lost revenue, denial trends and ROI.

The Center for Entrepreneurship at 91勛圖厙 expressed excitement about supporting each winning team in the next stages of their startup journey. Winners were invited to visit the Center for continued mentorship, resources and opportunities to further develop their innovations and explore bringing them to market.