Student-Built AI Study Tool Wins N5M at PHTech Expo
At the 2025 PHTech Expo, held from 25 to 28 July 2025, five undergraduates from Rivers State University won the ₦5 million grand prize with their AI tool, proving that passion, collaboration, and late nights can turn a student’s idea into an award-winning tech solution.
A Team Born in the Lecture Hall United by an AI Innovation
Led by Michelle, a 200-level Mechanical Engineering student with a growing passion for AI and robotics, the team comprises five friends from the university, four in Mechanical Engineering and one in Electrical Engineering. Each member brought a unique skill set:
Full-Stack Developer, Product Manager, UI/UX Designer, Data & Model Researcher, AI and Machine Learning Expert
For Michelle, who began her tech journey as a developer, the hackathon win is a milestone toward her long-term goal of becoming a robotics engineer.
Why They Entered the Hackathon
The PHTech Expo is one of Port Harcourt’s biggest tech gatherings, drawing innovators from across Nigeria. Michelle had attended the main event before and was inspired by watching people showcase their creations.
“Seeing others present their products triggered our passion and motivation. We wanted to be part of that energy, not just watch from the sidelines,” she said.
While they had entered competitions before, this was their first real hackathon, one in which they had to build an actual product rather than just pitch an idea.
Introducing NoteNest – The AI Study Companion
Their winning project, NoteNest, is an AI-powered EdTech solution designed for university and high school students. At its core, it helps students and teachers work better with their study materials by: Making it easy to take and organise notes, adapting to each student’s learning pace and style, and guiding users to relevant resources without endless searching
The concept came from Michelle’s personal struggle with studying after class.
“I often didn’t know where to start. Even YouTube tutorials made me more confused. We wanted to create something that filters the noise and guides students directly to what they need.”
Teamwork Under Pressure
From the start, the team split roles based on individual strengths. But the clock was ticking, and they arrived with only the concept in mind, while others had already begun building.
“We had to work late into the night to complete our demo,” Michelle recalled.
The final push paid off, as NoteNest impressed the judges with both its technical execution and practical use case.
Beyond the Hackathon
The team isn’t stopping here; they plan to launch NoteNest and bring it to market. Michelle believes it will be particularly useful for students “looking for an easy way to get materials” without wasting time searching.
Lessons Learned
Winning taught Michelle two big lessons:
- Lead with the problem – Make sure you truly understand the issue you’re solving.
- Balance skills in your team – For technical competitions, ensure you have enough technical depth to execute.
She also emphasises the importance of practising your pitch:
“Presentation matters. You need to sell the solution for what it really is.”
Impact on Campus and Beyond
Since their win, Michelle and her teammates have become role models on campus, sparking interest among other students to learn tech skills and build solutions. The hype around their success has given them extra motivation to push NoteNest forward.
Michelle credits the Harvoxx Tech Hub team for their support throughout the hackathon and thanks family, friends, and event sponsors Tech Nexus in partnership with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the opportunity.
“Harvoxx were always there to answer questions, even until the final presentation,” she said.