New Delhi, February 03, 2026: HopeWorks Foundation, in partnership with AI4India, has announced the launch of WitchHunt – Women in Technology Challenge, a nationwide initiative designed to enable women to build socially relevant solutions using artificial intelligence.
WitchHunt is structured as a large-scale, inclusive hackathon that aims to mobilise 5,000 women across 1,000 teams from January to May 2026. The initiative brings together women students and professionals aged 18 and above, including first-generation learners and participants from marginalised communities, to develop AI-based solutions addressing real-world social challenges.
A distinctive feature of the programme is the inclusion model built around HopeWorks Foundation beneficiaries. For every team of five participants, one member will be a girl supported by HopeWorks Foundation, paired with four peers from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Each team must include at least two women, ensuring sustained peer learning and exposure for participants with limited prior access to higher education or technical training.
The challenge is being implemented in collaboration with Skills Cafe and forms part of HopeWorks Foundation’s broader focus on expanding access to digital skills and emerging technologies. The initiative also aligns with the Foundation’s recently launched #MissionAI, which seeks to promote AI literacy and awareness across communities.
“In a world transformed by technology, women must not just participate, they must lead,” said Chitra Gurjar, Chairperson, WitchHunt. “This is a moonshot idea at a mammoth scale. Involving girls from the most unreached segments of our population is our way of creating equitable and equal spaces in technology.”
Since its inception in March 2020, HopeWorks Foundation has worked on education and empowerment initiatives for girls from marginalised backgrounds, reaching more than 50,000 young girls through programmes focused on digital literacy, leadership, and career readiness. WitchHunt builds on this foundation by creating structured entry points into the AI ecosystem.
Jacintha Jayachandran, Founder, HopeWorks Foundation, said, “WitchHunt is not just about coding or AI solutions; it’s about rewriting the narrative of who gets to innovate in India. When women are equipped with the tools of tomorrow, they don’t just build technology; they build futures. This initiative is our declaration that women will not just be consumers of AI; they will be its creators.”
The organisers expect WitchHunt to serve as a platform for collaboration, learning, and solution development, while contributing to a more diverse and inclusive pipeline of women innovators in India’s growing AI ecosystem.
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