Southern Miss, VOXO Mark Record Participation at 3rd Annual Hatchathon
Mon, 12/08/2025 - 09:40am
The University of 网曝吃瓜鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurship and VOXO, Inc., together with the School of Computing Sciences and Computer Engineering, marked a major milestone Nov. 18 with the conclusion of the 3rd annual Hatchathon. What began as a small pilot just two years ago has grown more than 170%, drawing 141 student participants鈥攁 testament to the entrepreneurial momentum building across campus.
This year featured a new two-part format designed to elevate student visibility and competition. The evening opened with a high-energy, science-fair-style expo where teams conducted project demos for judges and community guests. From there, tech and business judges selected the top eight teams to immediately take the stage for a pitch finale, showcasing their work to a packed audience.
The 2025 theme, 鈥淒iscover. Design. Automate. Smarter Workflows for a Smarter World,鈥� challenged students to build AI-driven solutions that streamline work, strengthen decision-making, and eliminate unnecessary barriers in everyday processes.
鈥淥ur team looks forward to Hatchathon every year,鈥� said Brennen Hodge, VP of product at VOXO, Inc. 鈥淲orking with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Southern Miss has been a great partnership, and the staff continues to run an amazing event. The students have been leveling up each year with more ambitious projects and dynamic team presentations. It is impressive to see how quickly they turn ideas into something real.鈥�
Business and industry partners echoed that enthusiasm.
鈥淚 was genuinely impressed by the organization, the energy, and the level of innovation on display,鈥� said Jason Dunn, senior vice president of business development at FV Recycling. 鈥淭he students delivered creative, automation-driven AI solutions with real and immediate business application. Events like this show true thought leadership from Southern Miss and demonstrate how they prepare students for success in an educational landscape that鈥檚 rapidly evolving.鈥�
Winning Projects
First Place: HIPAApotamus
Bipul Adhikari, Serene Aryal, Sushant Aryal, and Jeevan Karki
HIPAApotamus addressed one of healthcare鈥檚 most expensive and overlooked problems:
missed contract renewals and compliance failures. Its AI-powered platform automated
the entire contract lifecycle鈥攄rafting, scanning, tracking expirations, issuing reminders
and recommending vendor alternatives when performance slipped. With automated updates
to internal systems based on staff input, the solution transformed a clinic鈥檚 administrative
burden into a self-maintaining workflow engine.
Second Place: Suga
Prabin Bajgai, Sandesh Bhattarai, Sibin Joshi, Stephen Joshi, Nishan Poudel and Janit
Rajkarnikar
Suga served as a workflow automation companion that learned the way teams operated.
By observing a task once, Suga captured each step and converted it into a repeatable
automation鈥攏o coding or extra setup required. The tool was built for teams seeking
efficiency without complexity, turning everyday processes into hands-free operations.
Third Place: Countly
Kushal Adhikari, Prasant Koirala, Aayusha Niroula, Wyett Sampson, and Sakshyam Sigdel
Countly brought clarity to financial and operational decision-making by using AI to
audit, track and interpret key business data. It identified trends, flagged anomalies
and generated actionable insights in real time, helping organizations make informed
decisions without wading through spreadsheets.
People's Choice Award: QuickFix
Sangharsh Bajracharya, Sushant Bhandari, Eshal Nadeem, Archana Pandey, Prasanga Regmi,
and Salin Sodari
QuickFix instantly diagnosed and triaged technical issues inside large organizations.
The platform analyzed support tickets, identified root causes and suggested fixes鈥攍earning
from each resolution to improve accuracy over time.
Social Impact Award: AcuityClaim
Mandip Adhikari, Gunjan Kumar Sah, Saleep Shrestha, and Kiran Silwal
AcuityClaim was an AI platform that analyzed denied insurance claims, identified root
causes, verified documentation and generated ready-to-send appeal letters or information
requests. It also provided insights on lost revenue, denial trends and ROI.
The Center for Entrepreneurship at Southern Miss expressed excitement about supporting each winning team in the next stages of their startup journey. Winners were invited to visit the Center for continued mentorship, resources and opportunities to further develop their innovations and explore bringing them to market.