Opportunity brief
The Last Smartphone — A National Product Case Competition
Organised by: Product Management Club, Masters' Union
About the Event
What happens when the smartphone becomes obsolete?
Welcome to The Genesis, a national-level product management case competition that challenges students to imagine the future of human–technology interaction in the year 2050.
In a world where smartphones have disappeared, cybernetic interfaces combine spatial awareness, total memory, instant recall, and agentic intelligence to transform how humans live, learn, work, and connect. But with these advancements come critical questions about privacy, autonomy, accessibility, and the ethical boundaries of technology.
As a founding product team, your challenge is to design a cybernetic-interface product that genuinely improves human life—not merely keeps people connected. Identify a real human need, build an innovative product experience, map the technological investments required to make it possible, and define what your product will refuse to do.
The Genesis brings together aspiring product managers, innovators, and future founders to solve one of the most exciting product challenges of tomorrow.
Competition Structure
The competition consists of three rounds, taking teams from an online live quiz to product development and finally to an offline grand finale at Masters' Union, Gurugram.
Round 1: Signal vs Noise — The Live Quiz
Mode: Online | Live and Proctored
Explore the future of augmented reality, cybernetic interfaces, brain–computer interfaces, and agentic AI through a live, timed quiz.
- Watch curated clips showcasing futuristic technologies, real-world innovations, and dystopian possibilities. - Answer questions testing visual recall, technological awareness, product judgment, and second-order thinking. - Compete in timed quiz rounds designed to reward observation, reasoning, and quick decision-making. - The top 30 teams advance to the next round.
Duration: 45 minutes
Round 2: Build the Interface — The Product Challenge
Mode: Online | 10-Day Challenge
The top 30 teams will receive a unique Seed Constraint defining a specific user, location, and limitation. Teams must use this constraint to design a cybernetic-interface product experience for 2050.
Choose one of the following tracks:
- Body & Longevity: Rethink health, wellness, and human longevity. - Mind & Memory: Explore memory, recall, learning, and the right to forget. - Learn & Work: Redesign how humans acquire skills and perform work. - Access & Ability: Build inclusive technology that expands human capabilities. - City & Movement: Reimagine urban mobility, personal safety, and everyday living. - Connection & Play: Explore new dimensions of human connection and shared experiences.
Submission Requirements:
- Product Deck: A PDF presentation of up to 12 slides covering the target user, problem, product experience, key use case, roadmap, business model, ethical safeguards, and success metrics. - Team Video: A 2–5 minute video in which every team member appears on camera and explains the solution. - Decision Log: A one-page document outlining three important decisions the team reconsidered, what changed their perspective, and the final choices they made. - Optional Prototype: A clickable prototype, concept film, physical mock-up, or working demonstration can earn up to 5 bonus points.
Teams will be evaluated on human impact, product thinking, innovation, feasibility, ethics, scalability, and ownership of their decisions.
The top 8 teams will qualify for the Grand Finale.
Round 3: The Dais — The Grand Finale
Mode: Offline | Masters' Union Campus, Gurugram
The top 8 teams will present their solutions before a jury comprising experienced product leaders, founders, deep-tech investors, accessibility experts, and industry professionals.
Each team will participate in:
- Product Pitch — 8 minutes: Present the target user, product experience, key use case, and technological roadmap. - Jury Q&A — 5 minutes: Defend product decisions, feasibility assumptions, business strategy, and ethical considerations. - The Curveball — 3 minutes: Respond to an unexpected scenario that tests judgment, adaptability, and product leadership.
The jury will assess the strength of the solution, its measurable human impact, the team's reasoning, and its ability to navigate difficult real-world trade-offs.
The final ranking will be determined by combining the Round 2 score and Grand Finale score, each contributing 50%.
What Are We Looking For?
- Human-Centred Innovation: Solutions that create measurable improvements in people's lives. - Strong Product Thinking: Clear problem definition, user journeys, thoughtful interactions, and meaningful product decisions. - Technical Feasibility: A credible roadmap explaining the breakthroughs required to make the solution possible by 2050. - Ethical Responsibility: An understanding of privacy, autonomy, accessibility, potential misuse, and unintended consequences. - Business Viability: A scalable and sustainable business model that serves the intended user. - Team Ownership: Original thinking, transparent use of AI, and the ability to defend decisions under questioning.
Prizes and Recognition
Winner
- ₹60,000 cash prize - Potential pre-placement interview (PPI) or mentorship track with the sponsor, subject to confirmation
Runner-Up
- ₹30,000 cash prize
Special Awards
- Goodies and certificates for selected category winners
All Finalists
- Certificates of recognition - Travel support for outstation teams, subject to confirmation
Eligibility Criteria
- Open to students from recognised universities and B-schools across India. - Undergraduate, postgraduate, and MBA students are eligible. - Students enrolled in working-professional programmes may also participate. - Each team must consist of 2–3 members. - Cross-college teams are permitted. - Each participant may register only once. - Masters' Union students may participate; however, core members of the Product Management Club and their teams are not eligible.
Important Dates
The following dates are proposed and should be confirmed before publication.
- 2 November 2026: Registrations open - 15 November 2026: Registrations close -
18 November 2026, 7 PM: Round 1 — Live Quiz
- 19 November 2026: Round 1 results announced - 20 November 2026, 6 PM: Round 2 brief and Seed Constraint release - 29 November 2026, 11:59 PM: Round 2 submission deadline - 4 December 2026: Finalists announced -
12 December 2026: Grand Finale at Masters' Union, Gurugram
Rules and Guidelines
- Teams must consist of 2–3 eligible participants. - The Seed Constraint assigned to each team must be central to its proposed solution. - The Round 2 product deck must not exceed 12 slides. - The team video must be between 2 and 5 minutes, with every member appearing and speaking. - AI tools may be used for research and visuals, but their use must be disclosed. AI-generated presenters, voice clones, and text-to-speech are not permitted in the team video. - All submissions must reflect the team's own reasoning and decisions. - Teams must be prepared to defend their product decisions during the jury interaction and respond to the live Curveball challenge. - Late submissions, exceeding the permitted deck or video length, and other violations will attract penalties as specified in the competition guidelines. - The organisers reserve the right to verify eligibility and disqualify teams that violate the competition rules. - Detailed submission instructions, Seed Constraints, and round-specific guidelines will be communicated to shortlisted teams.
Why Participate?
Step beyond conventional case studies and build for a future that does not yet exist.
Challenge your product instincts, explore emerging technologies, solve meaningful human problems, and showcase your ideas before industry leaders.
The future of technology is not just about what we can build. It is about what we choose to build for humanity.
Are you ready to create The Genesis?