Flipkart Girls Wanna Code Case Study | Coding Challenge For Empowering Women Engineers

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Headquartered in Bangalore, the e-commerce giant, Flipkart, launched as an online book store in the year 2007, before it opened its doors for other product categories like consumer electronics, home essentials, fashion, lifestyle products, and groceries.

Started by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, two IIT Delhi graduates and ex-Amazon employees, the company made several acquisitions in 2010, including Myntra, Letsbuy, Jabong, and eBay India. Finally, Walmart acquired it in a whopping USD 16 billion deal. 

The Flipkart Girls Wanna Code (GWC) Story

The Flipkart story of Girls Wanna Code (GWC) began in 2018, when the first season of a unique, one-of-its-kind hackathon was launched, designed exclusively for girl students across select women engineering colleges.

Curated to give women candidates the exposure that they otherwise were oblivious to, the competition witnessed registrations from 283 teams, 9 out of which made it to the grand finale held in Bangalore, where they got an opportunity to showcase their coding skills to the brightest minds in the Indian e-commerce landscape. 

Soon, Flipkart realized that this model was merely serving the purpose of spreading awareness among a small segment of young girls. The company wanted to reach out to a wider spectrum of women, where they could not only be encouraged to participate in online coding challenges but also be coached by Flipkart leaders through a comprehensive learning program. 

Unstop (formerly Dare2Compete) is Drawn Into the Loop

The idea was simple but the execution needed a thorough analysis of the problem statement. This is where Unstop came into the picture. Team Unstop devised a strategy that amplified the scale of the competition and changed the Flipkart GWC model to that of learning and development instead of a mere hackathon. 

This marked the beginning of a Flipkart legacy unlike any other. What started as a month-long hackathon soon transformed into an immersive four-month journey of learning and growth, designed to give women engineering students hands-on experience with best-in-class technology.

Expanding its reach in the second season, Flipkart GWC 2.0 invited registrations from 9 women’s engineering colleges and garnered over 5,000 sign-ups. 189 of these women engineers took the immersive four-month journey, receiving personalized mentorship and guidance from Flipkart’s experts.

Girls Wanna Code Gets Bigger & Better

The continuous success of this hackathon series motivated Flipkart to go ahead with the third season of Girls Wanna Code. This edition of the competition was open to all women engineering students across all branches in select engineering colleges. With an aim to target talented women outside premier technology institutes, selected students were trained in industry-relevant technology skill sets with a curriculum that was especially developed by technologists from Flipkart!

The third edition of the competition diversified to include the following rounds: 

• Online Coding Challenge: After the initial registration, participants went through an online coding challenge where they were tested on grounds of their basic coding skills.
• Girls Wanna Code Learning Cohorts: Selected students from Round 1 were divided into cohorts who then became a part of an immersive learning program facilitated by experts from Flipkart. Split into 4 modules, the learning program trained selected students on essential skills required to nail interviews of top technology and product companies. Students were required to sit for online tests at the end of each module for the purpose of evaluation. 
• Final Evaluation: Based on the curriculum taught during the program, students who cleared this test got a chance to sit for Flipkart’s interview process for the roles of internship and full-time software development engineer.

Building on this momentum, the fourth edition of Girls Wanna Code saw a surge in participation, with more than 9,000 registrations from women students across diverse regions and engineering streams. This was followed by an even more remarkable growth in Season 5, which witnessed more than 13,000 registrations, and Season 6, which clocked over 14,000 registrations. 

These recent editions not only amplified Flipkart’s reach but also translated into real opportunities, with 200 Pre-Placement Interviews (PPIs) rolled out in Season 5 and 50 in Season 6. The consistent upward trajectory in participation and outcomes reaffirmed Flipkart’s commitment to nurturing diverse talent and empowering women engineers through experiential learning and meaningful career opportunities.

From 283 Teams to Thousands of Dreams

What began in 2018 as a modest initiative with just 283 participating teams has now become a powerful platform for empowering women in tech, amassing over 14,000 registrations by Season 6.

This phenomenal rise in engagement reflects more than just numbers. It highlights a growing awareness among women engineering students about the value of coding skills and career readiness. The program has empowered countless students with the right tools, mentorship, and opportunities to unlock their potential. Flipkart’s leaders have played a pivotal role in this transformation, witnessing firsthand the growth of talented young women who have gone on to secure placements in leading tech organizations.

As we reflect on this journey, we are confident that this is only the beginning of a long-standing and impactful collaboration with Team Flipkart - one that will continue to shape futures, break barriers, and create opportunities for years to come.