Design Thinking Hackathon
Crack a real-world challenge in a fast-paced, hands-on hackathon built around the SOIL design-thinking method.
Exclusively for PGDM 2026–28 aspirantsLimited seats
IgniteA Day of Design & Disruption
₹1 Crorein SOIL scholarships
up for grabs
up for grabs
Step onto the SOIL campus for one high-energy day of design thinking, mentorship and AI-powered problem solving. Compete, build, and stand a chance to win a scholarship to the SOIL PGDM 2026–28.
📅 22 June 2026 · Monday⏰ 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM📍 SOIL Campus, Manesar, South Gurugram
Reserve your spot
Free to attend · PGDM 2026–28 aspirants only. We'll confirm by email.
₹1 Crore
In scholarships up for grabs
11 AM – 4 PM
On campus · 22 June 2026
1 Day
Design. Disrupt. Decide.
Learn from people who built brands & careers at
IKEAAsian PaintsCoca-ColaP&GIIT DelhiIIM Lucknow
The Ignite experience
Experience every aspect of SOIL in one day
Ignite is not an info session. It's a working day on campus where you build, get mentored, and compete for a scholarship.
Mentorship
Work shoulder-to-shoulder with SOIL faculty and industry leaders who guide you through every stage.
Industry Interaction
Meet practitioners from brands like IKEA, Asian Paints, Coca-Cola and P&G, and learn how they actually solve problems.
Experiential Learning
No lectures. You learn by doing, the way every SOIL programme is built.
Usage of AI
Put modern AI tools to work inside your solution and experience the SOIL approach to AI-first thinking.
Win a Scholarship
Winners become eligible for SOIL's Unique & Merit-based scholarships towards the PGDM 2026–28.
A day at Ignite
Design. Disrupt. Decide.
How the day runs
11:00 AM – 4:00 PM, 22 June 2026
An individual competition: you bring the thinking, we bring the challenge, the mentors and the tools.
- 111:00 AM
Welcome & Campus Walk
Arrive, register and experience the SOIL campus.
- 211:30 AM
The Challenge Reveal
Faculty unveil the design-thinking problem statement.
- 312:00 PM
Design Thinking Hackathon
Ideate and build your solution, with AI tools at your side.
- 41:30 PM
Lunch & Industry Interaction
Network with mentors and industry leaders over lunch.
- 52:15 PM
Mentored Build & Refine
Sharpen your idea with one-on-one mentorship.
- 63:15 PM
Pitches & Judging
Present your solution to the SOIL panel.
- 73:45 PM
Winners & Scholarship Announcement
Celebrate the winners and the scholarships they've earned.
Learn from the best
Mentored by SOIL faculty & industry leaders
Spend the day with people who have built brands and businesses at IKEA, Asian Paints, Coca-Cola and P&G.
Navin Rao
Founding Member (Ex), IKEA India · Faculty, SOIL
IIM Lucknow · IIM Madras. Brings deep retail and design leadership to the SOIL classroom.
Arindam Mukherjee
Professor of Practice, SOIL
B.Tech, IIT Delhi · MBA, FMS Delhi. Built brands at Asian Paints, Coca-Cola and P&G.
Bidhyanand Jha
Marketing Professor · Ex-Director, SOIL
Marketing strategist who has shaped both classrooms and institutions at SOIL.
Jobin Jacob
Marketing Faculty, SOIL
Marketing educator focused on bringing real-world brand thinking into experiential learning.
Manpreet Kaur
Finance Professor, SOIL
PhD, IIT Delhi. Brings rigour in finance and analytical thinking to the SOIL classroom.
Admissions, reimagined
Is Ignite for you?
Ignite is an admissions experience: your day on campus doubles as your shot at a scholarship to the PGDM 2026–28.
- ✓You're a graduate (or final-year student) aiming for a PGDM in 2026.
- ✓You'd rather be judged on how you think than on a single test score.
- ✓You want to see the SOIL campus, faculty and method before you decide.
- ✓You're ready to compete for a share of ₹1 Crore in scholarships.
The prize
₹1 Crore in scholarships. One could be yours.
Ignite is your fast track in. Winners become eligible for SOIL's Unique & Merit-based scholarships towards the PGDM 2026–28: the programme built so talent, not cost, decides who studies here.
- ✓Experience every aspect of SOIL in a single day
- ✓Solve a real challenge, not a case study
- ✓Get mentored by faculty and industry leaders
- ✓Winners are eligible for scholarships towards the PGDM 2026–28
Ready to ignite?
Open only to students looking to enrol in the SOIL PGDM 2026–28. Seats are limited. Register and our team will confirm your place by email.
📅 22 June 2026 · Monday · 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
📍 SOIL Campus, Manesar, South Gurugram
🏆 Individual competition · ₹1 Crore in scholarships up for grabs