India Runs on Voice Hackathon – Scaler x Wispr

Scaler, a leading Indian ed‑tech platform that up‑skills software engineers, has partnered with Wispr Flow, a cutting‑edge voice‑to‑text AI, to launch a nation‑wide hackathon called “India Runs on Voice”. The event is designed to tap into India’s linguistic diversity and create voice‑first tools that can be used by billions of people across the country. Scaler’s mission is to democratise high‑quality tech education, while Wispr’s vision is to make voice the primary interaction mode for every digital product.

Together they provide participants with mentorship, master‑classes, and access to Wispr Flow’s API, enabling rapid prototyping of voice‑driven solutions.

The hackathon runs in three rounds from 5 Nov 2026 to 13 Dec 2026. Round 1 is an online warm‑up where participants submit ideas, prompts and impact statements using only their voice. Round 2 offers a unified problem statement; teams of up to three build a functional prototype, guided by a live master‑class from Wispr engineers.

The final round is an on‑campus showcase where shortlisted teams demo their solutions before Wispr leadership, AI founders and investors. The prize pool of ₹30 L is split among the top 15 teams, with the first‑place team receiving ₹7 L and a year’s subscription to Flow Pro for each member.

Key responsibilities for participants include

• Identify a real‑world problem within one of the five theme tracks (civic services, healthcare, education, small business, everyday access).
• Conduct rapid user research in regional languages to validate the problem.
• Design voice‑first user flows that work hands‑free on low‑spec devices.
• Implement the solution using Wispr Flow’s SDK, integrating speech‑to‑text, intent detection and language translation where needed.
• Optimize the prototype for latency, accuracy and offline capability.
• Prepare a compelling pitch deck and demo script entirely in voice.
• Collaborate with teammates via voice‑only communication tools.
• Iterate based on mentor feedback during the master‑class.
• Present a live demo at the campus finale, answering technical and business questions.
• Document the code and share open‑source contributions for community impact.

The tech stack revolves around Wispr Flow (speech‑to‑text, natural language understanding), any front‑end framework (React, Flutter, Android), backend services (Node.js, Python Flask), and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP). Participants gain hands‑on experience with voice AI, multilingual NLP, and rapid prototyping—skills highly sought after by product companies building inclusive tech.

Growth path: successful participants can be invited for internships or full‑time roles at Wispr, Scaler’s product teams, or partner startups looking for voice‑first innovators. The exposure to investors and AI leaders also opens doors to startup funding or mentorship.

Why join? This is a unique chance to build for a billion users, work in any Indian language, and receive mentorship from industry experts—all without any entry fee. Winners walk away with cash prizes, a year of premium Flow Pro, an international trip to Singapore, and direct interview opportunities with Wispr. Even non‑winners gain a portfolio‑ready voice‑AI project and a network of like‑minded builders across India.