KATHMANDU, MAY 9

Team Vayudristi has emerged as the national champion of the Hult Prize Nepal 2025, winning the prestigious student-led startup competition with an AI-powered air quality monitoring system.

The national finals, held on Thursday at AITM College in Lalitpur, brought together 48 teams and 148 participants from across Nepal to present business solutions tackling global challenges.

Vayudristi's innovation - an AI-powered real-time air monitoring system capable of analyzing and forecasting air quality levels- leverages 30 years of environmental data to provide accurate, accessible insights for public health awareness, urban planning, and environmental policy to both public and institutions.

'Our mission is a global mission. We want to prove that innovation can happen here in our country, with our data, by our youth,' the team said during the award ceremony, describing their project as a locally developed response to a global crisis.

The judging panel, composed of 11 experts from venture capital, sustainable development, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors, selected Vayudristi after two competitive rounds - an initial pitch round and a final evaluation involving in-depth presentations and one-on-one sessions.

As the national winner, Team Vayudristi received Rs. 50,000 in seed funding from Prachi Agrawal of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries – Young Entrepreneurs Forum (CNIYEF), Rs. 10,000 from Draper Startup House, along with gift hampers and vouchers from various sponsors.

The national event was inaugurated by Umesh Gupta, Executive Director of the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute, alongside Dr. Basanta Joshi, Head of School at AITM College, and Hult Prize Nepal Coordinator Subi Kafle. A recorded message from Supriya Jangre, Regional Manager for Hult Prize South Asia, was also shared with participants.

In her closing remarks, Kafle highlighted the collaborative nature of the event. 'What we witnessed today is the outcome of a collective effort – from stakeholders, sponsors, partners, organizers, and students – proving that platforms like these are essential to drive entrepreneurial spirit and impact in Nepal.'

The event was organized by AIESEC Nepal and supported by FAO Nepal, the World Food Forum, CNIYEF, and sponsors including Global IME Bank, Draper Startup House, KFC, Pizza Hut, Goodybro, and The Himalayan Times.

Team Vayudristi will represent Nepal in the upcoming Hult Prize global accelerator program later this year.