CemHack for Green Infra 2025 Concludes with Trailblazing Innovations in Cement Sector

In a significant step towards fostering innovation, sustainability, and startup-industry collaboration in the construction ecosystem, the National Council for Cement and Building Materials – Incubation Centre (NCB-IC) successfully organized the Grand Finale and Prize Distribution Ceremony of CemHack for Green Infra, India's first national-level hackathon focused exclusively on the cement and construction sectors.

The prestigious event brought together a vibrant mix of policy makers, industry leaders, academia, startups, and students under one roof, celebrating a unique platform that aims to reimagine India's green infrastructure future.

India's First Hackathon for Green Cement and Construction Innovation

CemHack for Green Infra, launched on 20 May 2025 by Shri Sanjiv, Joint Secretary (Cement), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), was a bold and visionary initiative. It aimed to identify tech-enabled, sustainable, and scalable solutions for real-world challenges in the cement industry, a sector known for its massive carbon footprint and urgent need for transformation.

Supported by DPIIT, Startup India, and industry giants such as UltraTech Cement, JSW Cement, JK Cement, and Shree Cement, the hackathon invited participation across two key tracks:

• Track 1: Startups, Professionals, and Individuals

• Track 2: Students, Research Scholars, and Academia

The themes ranged across the entire green cement and construction value chain:

• Green Cement: Alternative raw materials, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), AI/ML integration, and new binders

• Green Process: Decarbonized processes through hydrogen, solar thermal, waste heat recovery, and alternative fuels

• Green Concrete: Innovative concrete materials for low-impact infrastructure

• Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS)

• Logistics & Supply Chain Optimization

• Achieving Net Zero & UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Overwhelming National Response and Intense Evaluation

The hackathon received an extraordinary 125 entries, with:

• 47 teams in Track 1

• 78 teams in Track 2

Entrants hailed from leading academic institutions such as IITs, NITs, IISc, and DTU, alongside emerging startups and solo innovators.

Over four rounds of rigorous evaluation, solutions were judged based on innovation, feasibility, sustainability impact, and scalability. The final round featured eight shortlisted teams (four from each track), who pitched their solutions before a panel of expert jury members, industry veterans, and academic leaders.

Trailblazing Winners of CemHack for Green Infra 2025

Track 1 (Startups/Professionals):

• 🥇 1st Prize: TraceXero Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Deependra Singh Shekhawat, Reetam Chaudhary, Kirtiraj Singh, Kushal Singh)

• 🥈 2nd Prize: Aventra Energy (Sivasanthosh A)

• 🥉 3rd Prize: Regal Rinse (Bhavya Jindal, Ayush Bhadauriya, Sambhav Gupta)

• 🎖️ Consolation Prize: LivNSense GreenOps Pvt. Ltd. (Avnish Kumar, Priyanka Kumar)

Track 2 (Students/Academia):

• 🥇 1st Prize: Team Civil GPT – NIT Goa (Prashant Mishra, Saatwik Shetye)

• 🥈 2nd Prize: Team IIT Gandhinagar (Sreerag C S, Dr. Shreya Katre, Faizan Yousuf Bhat, Dr. S. K. Rahaman)

• 🥉 3rd Prize: Team ReCKon – DTU (Tasmia Haider, Archit Verma, Sameer Madan)

• 🎖️ Consolation Prize: Team IISc Bangalore (Sahana C. M., Kushagra Singh, Dr. Souradeep Gupta)

The winners were awarded cash prizes, certificates, and mentorship or incubation support through the NCB Incubation Centre, helping take their prototypes closer to industry deployment.

Celebrating Leadership and Vision: NCB Alumni Award 2025

In a special segment, Dr. Raju Goyal, Executive President and Chief Technical and Sustainability Officer at UltraTech Cement Ltd., was honored with the NCB Distinguished Alumni Award 2025 for his outstanding contributions to cement technology and sustainability. The award celebrates alumni from NCB's PG Diploma in Cement Technology, recognizing their impact in shaping India's cement and construction sectors.

Expert Insights: Innovation, Collaboration, and Sustainability

Chairpersons of Track 1 and Track 2—Dr. Raju Goyal and Shri Manoj Rustagi—highlighted the extensive and thoughtful evaluation process undertaken by the jury. They applauded the Director General of NCB, Dr. L. P. Singh, for his leadership in conceptualizing CemHack and establishing the NCB-Incubation Centre as a launchpad for green innovation.

The chairpersons acknowledged the high quality and originality of submissions, noting that many of the proposed ideas had the potential to revolutionize how India—and the world—builds sustainably.

A Launchpad for Industry-Startup Collaboration

CemHack for Green Infra has set a benchmark for public-private collaboration. By involving startups, students, industry leaders, and policy makers, the hackathon catalyzed an ecosystem where ideas meet execution, and innovation fuels sustainability.

It also served as a model for how legacy industries like cement and construction can embrace technology, circular economy principles, and net-zero commitments to become more future-ready.

With this success, the NCB-IC is expected to scale the hackathon platform in the coming years, building stronger bridges between industry challenges and tech-driven solutions.