Nepal–US Hackathon 2026 is a wrap!
We wrapped up the Nepal–US Hackathon 2026 last weekend, and honestly… we’re still processing how big it became.
Before diving into the recap, here’s how these weekly updates will look:
What’s coming up next this month, and
A behind-the-scenes look at what we’re building and why
Upcoming Events
1. Professionals Mixer - Boston
🗓 Date: Thursday, April 23
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET
📍 Location: 345 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA
👔 Dress Code: Business Casual (no hoodies, sweatpants, or flip-flops)
Looking to meet other Nepali students & professionals in Boston?
Our quarterly mixers are designed to help you connect, collaborate, and build real relationships within the community. Whether you’re new to the area or already part of the network, this is your space to find your people and grow together.
2. Professionals Mixer - New York City
🗓 Date: Thursday, April 30
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
📍 Location: Consulate General of Nepal, NYC; 228 E 45th St 4th Floor, New York, NY 10017
👔 Dress Code: Business Casual (no hoodies, sweatpants, or flip-flops)
Looking to meet other Nepali students & professionals in New York City?
Our quarterly mixers are designed to help you connect, collaborate, and build real relationships within the community. Whether you’re new to the area or already part of the network, this is your space to find your people and grow together.
Behind The Scenes
STILL PROCESSING THIS
the Nepal–US Hackathon 2026 started as a simple idea
"what if we brought Nepali builders from around the world together for one weekend… just to build"
and this weekend... it turned into the LARGEST global Nepali hackathon to date
the numbers:
1,350+ applications from 12+ countries in 2 weeks
420 builders from 10+ countries
44 mentors
8 judges
5 keynotes
2 workshop leads
40+ community partners & sponsors
~500 ppl came together to turn this vision into reality
we had 88 teams compete
we ended with 86 project submissions
THATS A 2.27% DROP RATE
in a virtual hackathon across time zones over a weekend…
that level of follow through is honestly INSANE
(i'll share some pics along with links to the opening & closing ceremony at the end if you'd like to see how it all played out)
WHAT THIS SHOWED
for a long time, the nepali tech community has mostly been centered around networking & talks
(and to be fair, that’s how we started too)
but this weekend showed something different
this wasn’t just connection
this was execution
86 teams didn’t just sign up
they shipped
it showed that the Nepali tech and innovation community isn’t just strong socially
it’s strong builders
and more importantly, it showed that the Nepali innovation ecosystem is as capable as any other
we just need to showcase it on a larger international scale
WHAT NEXT
as we wrap this up, we’ve already started working on something 10x bigger in the background to move the Nepali innovation ecosystem forward at Nepali Leaders Network
it could be a massive hit OR u'll see ads for my gofundme page but we gotta shoot our shot
Also, April will mostly be a reset month for us
taking a step back, re-strategizing, and doing a lot of backend work
but we’re not going completely quiet
we have 2 mixers planned:
• Boston — April 23
• NYC — April 30 (our first NYC mixer, promoted & hosted at the Consulate General of Nepal, New York)
if you're around, hope u can make it!
More soon,
Shreyas K. Shrestha
Founder, Nepali Leaders Network
P.S. If you made it this far, you’re a real one. These newsletters might be my favorite way to stay connected to 2,400+ of you. See you back in a week!
Opening & Closing Ceremony + Pics
Opening Ceremony:
Closing Ceremony:
