Record-breaking participation of nearly 1,29,000 women over 5,000 cities prompts Guinness World Records to create a brand-new title for female inclusion in tech
- Record-breaking scale: Nearly 1,29,000 women registered for the nationwide initiative, representing over 15,000 colleges across 5,000+ cities
- Democratizing AI: Over 60% of registrations came from Tier 2, Tier 3, and emerging cities, underscoring the growing appetite for AI skills beyond India’s traditional technology hubs
- Rigorous competition: Over 26,000 women participated in the first online round, followed by 2,800 participants across eight zonal rounds and 112 finalists at the Grand Finale
- Recognizing innovation: Three finalists were recognized for solutions addressing financial resilience, education and careers, and rural entrepreneurship
- Historic milestone: Guinness World Records updated its title framework specifically to establish and award this new benchmark for diversity in tech : “Largest Women-Only Generative AI Hackathon (Multiple Venues)”
Chennai, India – 11th September, 2026: Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI), in partnership with Aspire For Her, today announced the successful conclusion of its nationwide all-women Generative AI hackathon under the #WomenWhoMaster initiative. Drawing nearly 1,29,000 registrants from across India, the landmark event officially earned a Guinness World Record title. Guinness World Records created a brand-new award category specifically to recognize female inclusion in emerging technology: “Largest Women-Only Generative AI Hackathon (Multiple Venues).”
A core pillar of Logitech MX’s broader #WomenWhoMaster movement, this initiative equips women with practical skills in Generative AI, low-code development, and machine learning. Designed as an end-to-end skill-building program, it provides mentorship and industry pathways to ensure applied Generative AI skills translates into financial independence and career growth for women in STEM.
From Left to Right: Grace Lokako, Global Marketing Manager, MX at Logitech; Polina Anokhina, IMEA (India Middle East Africa) Region Director at Logitech; Madhura DasGupta Sinha, Founder and CEO, Aspire For Her; Manoj Sahay, Country Head, Logitech India
The Grand Finale, hosted at Logitech’s Chennai headquarters, brought together 112 finalists selected from over 15,000 colleges across 5,000+ cities. Kritika Yadav from Ramdeobaba University, Nagpur, emerged as the national winner for “HerFinance,” an AI-powered financial resilience companion designed to help women better understand their money, risks and financial choices. Priti Kumari Pandey from Parul Institute of Engineering and Technology, Vadodara, was named the first runner-up for “RE – From Skills to Employment,” an AI-powered career companion designed to help women assess their skills, identify career pathways and improve employment readiness. Mridul Singh Soam from GL Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management, Delhi NCR, was named the second runner-up for “KarigarSetu,” an AI-powered venture navigator designed to help women artisans grow their businesses by connecting marketing decisions with actual sales and transactions. The winners received prize money along with a Certificate of Championship. All participants were given the recently launched MX Keypad, a programmable control device aimed at developers working with AI coding tools.
Significantly, more than 60% of total registrations came from Tier 2, Tier 3, and emerging cities, demonstrating how ambition and technical capability in AI are expanding well beyond India’s established technology centers.
The nationwide journey began with an online assessment that saw over 26,000 women participate, from which 2,800 participants progressed to simultaneous zonal rounds across eight regional hubs, Mumbai (MET College, Bandra), Bengaluru (Dayanand Sagar University, Kanakapura), Chennai (SRM Easwari College), Kolkata (Praxis Business School), Noida (Amity University), Pune (ASM College), Hyderabad (KL University), and Visakhapatnam (Bullaya College), culminating in the 112 finalists advancing to Chennai.
Speaking at the Grand Finale, Grace Lokako, Global Marketing Manager, MX at Logitech, said, “Nearly 129,000 registrations tell us something much bigger than the scale of a hackathon, they reveal a massive wave of ambition among women ready to lead and build the AI economy. What stood out was not only the quality of ideas we saw today, but where that talent came from. With more than 60% of registrations coming from Tier 2, Tier 3, and emerging cities, it is clear that India’s next generation of technology creators will come from every corner of the country. Supporting India’s broader digital-skilling priorities , our ambition through Women Who Master is to help turn that potential into opportunity by creating access to skills, mentorship, and industry-academia pathways that translate into meaningful careers in technology.”
Commenting on the initiative, Polina Anokhina, IMEA (India Middle East Africa) Region Director at Logitech, said, “At Logitech, we firmly believe that diversity of thought is the ultimate catalyst for innovation. Supporting women in STEM is essential for building an inclusive, future-ready technology ecosystem across the IMEA (India Middle East Africa) region and globally. Through our Women Who Master initiative, Logitech is committed to removing structural barriers, fostering hands-on capability, and providing women with the tools and access they need to excel as builders and leaders in the emerging AI economy.”
Kritika Yadav, National Winner, said, “Winning this hackathon is incredibly meaningful because it gave me the opportunity to build a solution around a challenge that affects women in a very real way. Through HerFinance, we wanted to go beyond simply giving financial information and help women better understand their money, assess risks, and make informed decisions with confidence. The experience also showed me how Generative AI can be used to create practical, accessible solutions that can have a meaningful impact on people’s everyday lives. I am grateful to Logitech and Aspire For Her for creating a platform where young women can experiment, build, and turn their ideas into solutions for the future.”
Beyond the competition, the initiative was designed to create pathways for women to build practical exposure to Generative AI, connect with mentors and industry leaders, and explore opportunities within the broader technology ecosystem.
About Logitech
Logitech designs software-enabled hardware solutions that help businesses thrive and bring people together when working, creating and gaming. As the point of connection between people and the digital world, our mission is to extend human potential in work and play, in a way that is good for people and the planet. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI). Find Logitech and its other brands, including Logitech G, at www.logitech.com or company blog.
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