Hacktimus 2025 wasn’t your typical hackathon. It was designed as a build-for-production spring—a two-week challenge to create working extensions, integrations, and apps that solve real problems in commerce. From student teams and independent developers to seasoned professionals, over 200 participants joined forces to transform ideas into live code using Fynd’s developer ecosystem.

What set Hacktimus apart was its intent: not to pitch, but to publish. This was a space to launch solutions, not just imagine them.

This was the first ever launch of Hacktimus — and it came with a bold challenge:

Could people outside of Fynd, without any internal context, build production-ready tools using the same platforms our teams use every day?

Built for impact, not just ideas

Commerce is evolving fast, and with it comes a wave of complex challenges — from catalog management and multi-channel sync to data flow and intelligent automation. At Fynd, we believe developers can solve these challenges faster and better when given the right access, context, and support.

That’s the idea behind Hacktimus. It’s a space where builders create tools that solve real issues for real sellers. No vanity demos. No placeholder code. Just usable solutions, deployed directly into the Fynd ecosystem.

For developers, Hacktimus offered:

• A direct line to real business use cases — not vague problem statements

• Mentorship from Fynd’s product, engineering, and design teams

• A platform to publish working extensions and integrations

• Hiring and collaboration opportunities based on what you build

• Hands-on experience with Fynd’s SDKs, APIs, Boltic, and PixelBin

Hacktimus isn’t just a hackathon. It’s your chance to build something that goes live — and stays live — for thousands of sellers and millions of users.

Built on real tech

Participants worked with Fynd’s full suite of developer tools. This is the same infrastructure our teams use internally across engineering, storefronts, and automation workflows.

• Fynd Commerce SDK (FDK) enabled builders to create seller- and customer-facing extensions. Many used it to build loyalty programs, inventory alerts, and custom storefront components.

• Boltic powered most of the automation and integration workflows. Teams used it for back-in-stock triggers, product bundling, CRM syncs, and queue-based scheduling for post-order operations.

• PixelBin supported real-time asset optimization. It showed up in projects experimenting with AR try-ons, automated image processing, and smart visual transformations.

• OpenAI GPT and GlamAR were used to add conversational experiences, search interfaces, content generation, and virtual try-ons. These tools were especially popular in styling and product discovery flows.

• Ratl.ai helped teams simulate and validate flows in production-like conditions. It enabled testing for sessions, checkout stability, and live error monitoring.

Everything teams needed to build and ship was ready to go. API access, sandboxes, deployment support, and continuous mentoring were available throughout.

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Image title: Usage of Fynd's tech stack in full force to build solutions for real-life use cases

Alt text: Photo of the Boltic interface integrating with other products such as Fynd Commerce and PixelBin

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Usage of Fynd's tech stack in full force to build solutions for real-life use cases

Everything needed to build and publish was available including API access, sandboxes, deployment support, and continuous mentoring.

The event journey

Hacktimus unfolded across four key stages:

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1. Kickoff day (May 17): Held in person at Fynd HQ, teams were introduced to the platform, finalized their use cases (either pre-approved or custom-pitched), and began building with support from Fynd’s DevEx, product, and design mentors.

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2. Remote development (May 18–28): Over 11 days, developers worked in sprints, attended “ask me anything” (AMA) sessions, and participated in mid-event reviews to validate ideas.

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3. Last mile day (May 29): Final reviews, testing, and shortlisting of top teams based on production-readiness and use case completeness.

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4. Demo day (May 30): Twenty shortlisted teams presented their work live to Fynd’s founders, CXOs, and a panel of engineers and designers. The final founder evaluation is currently underway, and winners across five categories will be announced soon, with over ₹7 lakh in prizes to be awarded.

Title: From briefing to building: Scenes from day one of Hacktimus 2025

Alt text: Photos of the event and Hacktimus 2025 vision

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From briefing to building: Scenes from day one of Hacktimus 2025

How we judged

The judging process focused on real-world applicability. Teams weren’t rewarded for flashy UIs or clever ideas alone — they were evaluated on how well their solutions could function in the hands of a seller or customer.

Title: Criteria that defined what 'ready' means

Alt text: Criteria included: Production readiness: Was the extension live or deployment-ready?   Problem-solving clarity: Did it address a real business need?   Engineering quality: Was the code structured, scalable, and robust?   Design and UX: Was the interface usable, consistent, and intuitive?   Innovation and business potential: Would this drive measurable value?

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Criteria that defined what 'ready' means

The finalists

Five finalists emerged, each showcasing different but equally powerful approaches to commerce innovation:

• A VIP customer program that helps brands reward their most loyal shoppers with exclusive access and benefits
  
  

• iSnapToShop, a reverse image search tool that allows shoppers to find similar products by uploading a photo
  
  

• An AI bundling engine that creates dynamic product combos based on trends and user behavior
  
  

• A natural language analytics dashboard for sellers to interact with their data via simple questions
  
  

• StyleSync, a fashion-focused engine combining styling logic, AR try-ons, and GPT-powered assistance
  
  

Each of these projects is now on a path to go live, with several undergoing integration reviews within the Fynd ecosystem.

Built by the community, for the community

Hacktimus wasn’t just a sprint. It was the first time Fynd opened its full toolset to the outside world and said: “Build with it.”
No internal knowledge. No prior access. Just infra, docs, mentorship, and a timer.

What came out was more than just working projects. It was the beginning of a developer community — people who had never touched our ecosystem building tools that are now on their way to production.

Hacktimus wouldn’t have been possible without deep collaboration across Fynd. While the DevEx team led the event, support came from product managers, designers, engineers, and internal tool owners — all working behind the scenes to provide documentation, unblock development, and shape projects toward deployment.

This alignment is what made Hacktimus feel more like an accelerated production sprint than a one-off event. For the participants, it meant building under real-world constraints — and still delivering.

Title: The Hacktimus 2025 builders

Alt text: Photo of the Hacktimus event and people from day one

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The Hacktimus 2025 builders

What we achieved

Hacktimus resulted in a wave of developer-led innovation across the Fynd ecosystem:

• Over 35 extensions were initiated, many now progressing toward production
  
  

• 18 Boltic integrations were built, spanning CRMs, marketing tools, and automation platforms
  
  

• Several PixelBin-powered apps reached functional prototype stage
  
  

• 30+ top participants are now in hiring conversations
  
  

• Fynd Academy and the Developer Portal saw major engagement boosts from college outreach
  
  

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TItle: Hacktimus by the numbers

Alt text: Hacktimus 2025 at a Glance Metric Value Duration 14 days of development Total Participants 200+ developers Extensions Initiated 35+ projects Boltic Integrations Built 18 integrations Finalist Teams 5 selected Prizes Awarded ₹7,00,000+ in value

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Hacktimus by the numbers

What comes next

Hacktimus 2025 set a new benchmark for collaborative, developer-first innovation in commerce. Several of the tools built during the event are already under review for adoption into Fynd’s production ecosystem. And this was only the beginning.

If you’re a developer ready to solve real-world problems with real infrastructure, you don’t have to wait for the next Hacktimus. The Fynd Developer Portal, Academy, and future partner programs are open to all builders looking to make a tangible impact.

Want to build with us?

We're always looking to collaborate with developers who want to build for production.

Let’s talk

Let’s keep building.