From Nagpur to the Nation: Orange Promptathon 2026 Positions India’s Next AI Talent Wave Beyond the Metros

India’s First Next-Gen College AI Summit at Ramdeobaba University Brings Together Carrier, NASSCOM, Infocepts, Defence Leadership, and Young Innovators to Solve Real Industry Challenges Using Generative AI

At a time when the global race for Artificial Intelligence talent is intensifying, a powerful signal emerged from Nagpur — reinforcing that India’s next wave of AI innovation may not come only from metro cities, but from emerging academic ecosystems across the country.

Ramdeobaba University (RBU), Nagpur, hosted Orange Promptathon 2026, a first-of-its-kind Next-Gen College AI Summit that brought together industry leaders, defence leadership, academia, and young innovators to solve real-world enterprise challenges using Generative AI and prompt engineering.

Organized in collaboration with Carrier, NASSCOM, and Infocepts, the summit showcased how India’s tier-2 cities are rapidly emerging as critical contributors to the country’s AI transformation journey.

More than 600 student innovators across 23 multidisciplinary teams participated in the Grand Finale, presenting AI-powered solutions across domains such as predictive HVAC maintenance, energy optimization, comfort intelligence, AI-led supply chain systems, customer intelligence, and enterprise digital transformation.

Unlike conventional hackathons, Orange Promptathon focused on real business problems sourced from industry, encouraging students to apply Generative AI and prompt engineering to build practical, scalable, enterprise-relevant solutions.

The event arrives at a pivotal moment for India, as enterprises across sectors accelerate investments in AI, while simultaneously facing an urgent demand for industry-ready digital talent.

In his keynote address, Dr. Shankar Subbarayan Mantha, Founding Chancellor & President of Ramdeobaba University, emphasized the growing importance of purpose-driven AI education and industry-academia collaboration.

“The future belongs to those who can combine technology with purpose. What we witnessed at RBU today was not only technical excellence, but also the ability of students to apply AI toward solving meaningful real-world challenges. Orange Promptathon reflects the growing importance of industry-academia collaboration in shaping tomorrow’s workforce. By giving students exposure to Generative AI, prompt engineering, and innovation-led thinking, we are helping prepare them for the rapidly evolving digital economy.”

Industry leaders at the summit highlighted that India’s AI future cannot remain concentrated within a few urban ecosystems.

Speaking at the event, Kamal Sharma, Global Connected Hubs Leader at Carrier, said the initiative reflects a broader effort to democratize access to innovation opportunities and discover talent beyond traditional technology hubs.

“I truly believe talent knows no zip code, and hidden gems must be discovered — near and far. For Carrier, this is more than an innovation challenge. It is part of a larger commitment to strengthening industry-academia collaboration and nurturing the next generation of talent in India.”

In a powerful intersection of technology, leadership, and national development, Group Captain Kushal Vyas, HQ NCC Nagpur, Indian Air Force, addressed students on the importance of resilience, discipline, and responsible innovation in the AI era.

“As technology continues to evolve rapidly, the true differentiator will not just be intelligence, but discipline, resilience, character, and the ability to lead with purpose. The future belongs to those who can combine innovation with responsibility and strong human values.”

Adding an enterprise and policy perspective, Rajendra (Raj) Jodhpurkar, Global CIO at Infocepts and Regional Council Member, NASSCOM Maharashtra, underscored how India must scale AI capability creation beyond metropolitan clusters.

“Infocepts builds enterprise-grade Data & AI platforms for Fortune 500 companies. Through Orange Promptathon, we are bringing together NASSCOM, academia, and enterprise GCCs to shape industry-ready AI talent. Students in Nagpur are already delivering production-ready POCs on real Carrier HVAC use cases. This is how India scales AI talent beyond the metros.”

The summit concluded with the recognition of one winning team and two runner-up teams for developing the most impactful AI-driven enterprise solutions.

As India positions itself as a global AI powerhouse, Orange Promptathon 2026 signals a larger national shift — where universities, enterprises, and young innovators are collaboratively building the foundation for India’s AI-led future.

The event also reinforces a growing reality in India’s digital economy: the next generation of globally competitive AI talent may emerge not just from established tech corridors, but from ambitious institutions and ecosystems across the country.

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