SIH and hackathon mentorship for student teams and colleges
Zaid Sayyed mentors student teams for Smart India Hackathon (SIH) and other hackathons, from choosing a problem statement to the idea deck and the jury's questions. He won SIH 2025 at the national level, ran a guidance session attended by 290+ students, and offers 1:1 team calls and sessions for colleges.
Mumbai, India · remote worldwide · reply within two days · updated 20 October 2026
- SIH 2025 National Winner
- 9 hackathon wins
- flutterCon India 2026 speaker
- Judge, TECHFORMERS and Manthan 2026
- Collab with Techfest, IIT Bombay
- 25+ merged Wikimedia patches
Who it is for
- Student teams preparing for Smart India Hackathon or any national hackathon
- Colleges and clubs that want a guidance session before an internal round
- Teams that want their idea deck or prototype reviewed
What you get
- 1:1 team strategy calls, booked on Topmate
- Guidance sessions for colleges and clubs, online or in Mumbai
- Idea deck reviews against what juries actually ask
- Jury question practice before the presentation
- Free tools and guides to prepare with, linked below
Proof, with links
How it works
- 01
Pick the format
A 1:1 call for one team, or a session for a whole college.
- 02
Send your context
Your statement, idea or deck, so the time goes on your problems.
- 03
Session
Specific feedback, not general advice.
- 04
Next steps
What to fix first, and the resources to do it.
Questions people ask
How do you win Smart India Hackathon?
Winning SIH teams usually pick a problem statement they can actually build, read its expected solution closely, and show a working prototype rather than only slides. Zaid Sayyed was National Winner of Smart India Hackathon 2025 and mentors teams through each of these steps.
How do I choose a problem statement in SIH?
Shortlist statements your team can build and demo in the finale, read each expected solution and the organisation behind it, and compare before you submit. Zaid Sayyed's free SIH 2026 problem statement tool lists all 265 statements by theme and ministry to make the comparison easier.
How do I make a PPT for Smart India Hackathon?
Follow the official SIH idea template and make each slide answer one question: the problem, your solution, how it works, why it is feasible and what impact it has. Evaluators score clarity and detail. Zaid Sayyed reviews idea decks and shares three real winning decks for free.
What is an SIH internal hackathon?
An SIH internal hackathon is the round a college runs to choose which teams it nominates to Smart India Hackathon, usually judged by faculty and industry experts. Zaid Sayyed, SIH 2025 National Winner, can judge these rounds or mentor the shortlisted teams.
How can a mentor help in Smart India Hackathon?
A mentor helps a team pick a statement it can actually win, shape the solution, tighten the idea deck and rehearse the jury's questions. Zaid won SIH 2025 at the national level and mentors teams on exactly these steps.
How do I book a 1:1 session with Zaid Sayyed?
Book a 1:1 on Topmate at topmate.io/zaidusyy. Colleges and clubs that want a session for many students can use the form on this page.
Can you review our SIH idea PPT?
Yes. Send the deck before the call and the session goes on specific fixes: problem framing, feasibility, the solution slide and the questions a jury is likely to ask about it.
Do you run sessions for colleges?
Yes. Zaid runs guidance sessions for colleges and clubs online, like the SIH 2026 session for United Group of Institutions, Prayagraj, which 290+ students attended, and in person in Mumbai.
Are there free resources?
Yes: the SIH problem statement tool, three real winning decks, and the SIH playbook with 26 jury questions are all free on zaidsayyed.in.
Book a session for your college
Two minutes, no call or signup. I read every brief myself and reply within two days. Prefer email? zaidsayyed07869@gmail.com