Kathmandu: The grand finale of the “inDrive ICT Award 2025 in association with NepalPay QR, TingTing powered by Sasto Tickets, MIT, and KMC”, marking the 10th edition of Nepal’s most prestigious ICT recognition, concluded at The Plaza, Pulchowk, Lalitpur.

Jointly organized by Living with ICT and ICT Foundation Nepal, the ceremony honored startups, innovations, entrepreneurs, individuals, and organizations delivering outstanding contributions to Nepal’s technology ecosystem, with awards presented across 17 categories.

The opening ceremony was graced by Minister for Communications and Information Technology Jagdish Kharel as Chief Guest, while the closing ceremony featured Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Anil Kumar Sinha as Chief Guest. The event also welcomed chiefs of constitutional commissions, Vice-Chair of the National Planning Commission Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Chief Secretary Samunraj Aryal, senior government officials, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and over 1,500 distinguished ICT personalities from Nepal and abroad. The program was broadcast live on Himalaya Television.

This year, the awards received more than 750 online nominations, evaluated through a rigorous four-month selection process by an 18-member jury and a 16-member advisory committee. Startups from Nepal and abroad participated, reflecting the growing regional footprint of the ICT Award.

Key Award Winners (Individual Categories)

• Nepali Diaspora ICT Award: Dinesh Silwal
• Entrepreneur ICT Award: Bibhushan Bista
• Pioneer ICT Award: Dr. Allen Baulochan Tuladhar
• Professional Excellence ICT Award: Ramkrishna Pariyar
• Woman Icon ICT Award: Munni Rajbhandari

Institutional Categories

• Digital Governance ICT Award: Social Security Fund
• Digital Services ICT Award (Enterprise Sector): NMB Bank
• Digital Services ICT Award (Neo Sector): Ambition Guru
• Digital Education ICT Award (Public Sector): Narayani Secondary School, Chitwan
• Digital Education ICT Award (Private Sector): Kopila Valley School, Surkhet

Startup and Innovation Categories

• inDrive Startup ICT Award: Arkbo Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• Product ICT Award: QuickCCA
• Rising Star Innovation ICT Award: MindBridge
• Social Innovation ICT Award: Kataho
• Hamro Pay Public Choice ICT Award: Trip Turbo Pvt. Ltd.
• Jury Mention ICT Award: Vayudrishti
• South Asia Startup ICT Award: PriyoShop, Bangladesh

Province Startup ICT Recognition 2025

Outstanding startups from all seven provinces were honored:

• Koshi: Medicab Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• Madhesh: Janaki Soft International Pvt. Ltd.
• Bagmati: Cloud Mandap Pvt. Ltd.
• Gandaki: Brand Builder Pvt. Ltd.
• Lumbini: Golden Technosoft IT Solution
• Karnali: Everest Wireless Network Pvt. Ltd.
• Sudurpashchim: Busy Infotex Pvt. Ltd.

In his welcome remarks, Razan Lamsal, Founder and Chairperson of the ICT Award, noted that for a decade the initiative has worked to identify, connect, and strengthen Nepal’s ICT ecosystem, emphasizing the need for greater private-sector encouragement alongside government leadership.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Minister Jagdish Kharel highlighted the establishment of an AI Council and AI Center within three months of the new government’s tenure and announced progress toward a national digital roadmap, urging leadership that advances the Digital Nepal vision.

At the closing ceremony, Minister Anil Kumar Sinha underscored ICT’s indispensability for competitive and sustainable industrial development, stating that the ICT Award promotes both industry growth and international visibility. NPC Vice-Chair Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha added that ICT has been prioritized in the 16th Plan, positioning Nepal to compete globally. MoCIT Secretary Radhika Aryal emphasized ICT as a foundation for national development, good governance, and social transformation.

Mark Tully, Asia–Pacific Director of inDrive, reaffirmed inDrive’s commitment to Nepal’s tech ecosystem, while Guru Prasad Paudel, Spokesperson of Nepal Rastra Bank, highlighted the central bank’s focus on tech-friendly services, the digital economy, and digital literacy.

Winners received trophies and certificates from senior government and non-government officials. The ceremony also featured musical and comedy performances by Hemant Sharma, Rachana Rimal, Prabhat Lama, and others.

Living with ICT, the organizing institution, is Nepal’s partner for international accolades including the Aurora Tech Award, Underdog Award, and WSA Award. Winners and finalists gain pathways to international competitions, with several already achieving global recognition.

As part of pre-event activities, the program delivered Startup and Idea Fests, training and mentoring, industry and field visits, speed dating, presentations, and a special television series on Himalaya Television. Public voting complemented jury evaluations in the Startup, Product, and Rising Star categories.

The title sponsor of ICT Award 2025 was inDrive, with NepalPay QR and AI communication platform TingTing as associate partners. Sasto Tickets, Model Institute of Technology, and Kathmandu Model College served as key collaborators, with support from multiple public and private institutions.

Awardees also received software licenses from Tigg, USD 5,000 in AWS credits from IT Global, gifts from Studio Home, and an AI scholarship from Sunway College for the Rising Star winner.

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