IIT Madras Wins the Fifth Edition of Samsung E.D.G.E. Campus Program, FMS Delhi is Runner-up

Over 5,200 students from 20 premier institutes worked on real time scenarios and shared novel solutions during the three months course of the competition

Mr. Ken Kang, President & CEO, Samsung SWA

Samsung, India’s largest and most trusted consumer electronics brand, concluded the fifth edition of its pan-India campus program Samsung E.D.G.E., with over 5,200 of the brightest students from 20 top institutions across India participating.

Team The Secret Society from IIT Madras, comprising Guhan Narayanan, Mukund Khandelwal and Rishbha Jain emerged winners in the finale for presenting a customer-centric, innovative solution to reach out to potential consumers in a contact-less way in the new normal. The team Pravega from FMS Delhi came second followed by team Mafia from XLRI Jamshedpur.

This year, all rounds in the two-month long program were conducted virtually to ensure the safety of students and all Samsung employees. The competition, spread over three months, invited participation of students from diverse domains such as B. Tech, Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Design.

The virtual event was attended by Mr. Ken Kang, President & CEO, Samsung SWA and other senior leaders of Samsung India. Mr. Kang congratulated all the participants and said that 2020 will be remembered for innovative thinking in challenging times, a testimony to the unwavering human spirit. He asked the students to continue pursuing their ideas and dreams.

Samsung E.D.G.E. is a campus recruitment and engagement initiative by Samsung India that was initiated in 2016 to provide opportunities to young talent from top B-Schools, Engineering & Design Institutes.

Every year the brightest minds come together from top institutes of India to provide distinctive solutions to real-time challenges.

“At Samsung, we believe that only meaningful innovations enable change. Through the Samsung E.D.G.E. campus program, we want to cultivate young minds and give them a platform to present creative solutions for real life problems. This year the teams were tasked to innovate on new-age solutions for current challenges faced by everyone around the world. We are overjoyed to see the bright ideas that have potential to transform our society,” said Sameer Wadhawan, Head, Human Resources, Samsung India.

A total of 1,763 teams across India participated, of which 48 teams proceeded to the regional rounds, and finally 8 teams were selected for the finale. The winning team was awarded with a pre-placement offer from Samsung and a flagship smartphone along with a cash prize of ₹400,000.

The first runner-up team from FMS Delhi presented a messaging app based chat-bot experience for consumers and store on wheels solution based on the theme this year – ‘The Era of UNTACT – New Days, New Ways’ – under which the final eight teams had to suggest unique solutions to deliver a contact-less experience to consumers. The first runner-up bagged a pre-placement interview with Samsung and cash prize of ₹200,000. The second runner-up position went to team Mafia from XLRI Jamshedpur for showcasing an innovative virtual store walk solution, and they were rewarded with a cash prize of ₹100,000.

Samsung E.D.G.E. is a first-of-its-kind campus program that provides an opportunity to the country’s brightest students to exhibit their talents, exchange meaningful insights and get a head-start in their careers.

The program consists of three rounds. The first round is the campus round in which the teams are required to research, brainstorm, and formulate the most innovative approach. The campus round is followed by the regional round where the shortlisted teams present their plans to Samsung business leaders. At the end of the regional round, top 8 teams are selected and mentored by Samsung leaders on their respective solutions. The finale 8 teams battle it out in the National Round to announce the three winning teams.