Team Fluxelle of Khwopa College of Engineering Wins Hult Prize Nepal 2026 National Finals
Kathmandu: Team Fluxelle, representing Khwopa College of Engineering in Bhaktapur, has become the national winner of Hult Prize Nepal 2026. The team won the national title with a sustainable business idea to produce mushrooms from coffee waste.
The National Final of Hult Prize Nepal 2026 was held on Saturday at St. Xavier’s School, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. A total of 46 teams and more than 160 participants from universities and colleges across Nepal took part in the competition.
Team Fluxelle presented a circular economy-based concept that uses waste generated from coffee to produce edible and organic mushrooms. The idea aims to reduce environmental pollution caused by coffee waste while promoting sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly food production.
The winner was selected after two competitive rounds. During the preliminary pitch session and final evaluation round, teams delivered detailed presentations and held one-on-one discussions with the judges.
The competition’s judging panel included 14 professionals and industry leaders from entrepreneurship, venture capital, technology, product development, health care, and sustainable development sectors.
The judges were Nikita Bajracharya, Ritu Singh Vaidya, Shraddha Shrestha, Ashish Thakur, Darshan Shrestha, Chewan Rai, John B. Park, Deepak KC, Ujjwal Raj Singh, Sarisha Shrestha, Pradeep Sigdel, Abhinav Khemka, Sudarshan Subedi, and Sandeep Kamat.
As the national winner, Team Fluxelle received a cash prize of Rs. 100,000 provided by the British Council. The team also received Rs. 50,000 in seed funding from the Confederation of Nepalese Industries Young Entrepreneurs Forum (CNIYEF). The winner was also awarded gift hampers, vouchers, and additional support from sponsors and partner organizations.
The program was presented by the British Council and hosted by UBA Solutions Nepal. The event was supported by several partner organizations from the startup, hospitality, lifestyle, and education sectors, including BYD, CNIYEF, NYEF, NICCI, American Learning Centre (ALC) with University of Akron, Classic Tech, Draper Startup House, and Embark College.
The media partners of the program included Artha Sarokar, Deshsanchar, Edusanjal, eKantipur, Good Nepal, ICT Frame, Image 97.9 FM, Image Channel HD, Imagekhabar, Jupiter Media, Media Kurakani, Nepal in Last 24 Hours, Nepal Samacharpatra, New Business Age, The Annapurna Express, and The Kathmandu Post.
After becoming the national winner, Team Fluxelle will represent Nepal in the Hult Prize Global Accelerator Program to be held later this year. The program is expected to feature competition among student entrepreneur teams from different countries around the world.
Hult Prize is known as an international competition that encourages young students to develop business solutions with social impact, supporting the growth of student entrepreneurship.
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