Mangaluru: In a proud moment for India, and particularly Mangaluru, Shubham Ramesh Vernekar — a Master’s student of design at IIT Guwahati and alumnus of St Aloysius School, Mangaluru — has secured 2nd place at the prestigious 12th Longevity Design Challenge 2025, hosted by the Stanford Center on Longevity, California, USA.
Shubham, along with his teammate Kavyashree Venkatesh, was recognised for their innovative creation “Flo”, a deck-building card game designed to help individuals discover their life’s purpose through a gamified experience. The duo emerged among the top 8 global finalists from over 500 entries spanning 31 countries.
The pitch that impressed Stanford
The final round of the competition was held from April 21 to 24, 2025, at Stanford University, Palo Alto. Shubham and Kavyashree presented their product in front of a panel of nine international judges, securing second place amidst stiff global competition.
“Flo” received enthusiastic applause from the jury and the audience alike, and reportedly attracted the interest of investors and international mentors — several of whom expressed keen interest in supporting the product’s future development and market rollout.
Roots in Mangaluru, reach to the world
Shubham’s journey is one of academic brilliance and creative ambition. A proud alumnus of St Aloysius School, Mangaluru, he went on to complete his B.Tech from NITK Surathkal before choosing a design path at IIT Guwahati. He is the son of Ramesh Vernekar, a retired transport officer, and Shobha Vernekar.
Shubham’s success is being celebrated not just by his alma maters but also by the local academic and design communities who see this as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring innovators.
The Longevity Design Challenge
The Stanford Longevity Design Challenge encourages young innovators globally to design practical and scalable solutions that help people live longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. It serves as a global platform to spotlight student-led innovations that can create real-world impact.
Shubham and Kavyashree’s project, Flo, aligns perfectly with this vision, using the simplicity of a card game to trigger deep reflection and purpose-finding — a theme that resonated strongly with the event’s mission and panel.