👨💻 From Full-Stack Dev to ML Explorer
Bikash is currently a Senior Software Developer at Inside Global, working mainly with .NET Core and full-stack development. His day-to-day involves two-week sprints, collaborating with stakeholders, writing user stories, resolving bugs, and contributing to building better product features.
But here’s the twist—outside of work, he’s also finishing up his Master’s in Machine Learning at Georgia Tech.
“Switching to ML has been one of the best decisions of my life.”
Through his coursework, Bikash has tackled everything from deep learning to advanced algorithm design. One of his favorite projects? An image captioning tool using transformer architectures and pretrained models. (Think: upload an image, and the AI generates a sentence describing it.)
🤝 Why He Said “Yes” to Mentoring
Bikash wasn’t always the guy speaking on podcasts or mentoring hackathons.
“I used to be pretty introverted during my undergrad. But once I started working, I realized the value of connection—especially as an international student.”
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So when he got the chance to mentor at the Nepal-US AI Hackathon, it was an easy yes. Not only does he want to give back, but he’s also excited to learn from the participants themselves.
“You’re always learning in this field. Why not learn from each other?”
Also, he gives credit where it’s due—his best friend Sagun recommended him, and he didn’t even think twice before accepting.
🔍 What He’s Looking Forward To
If your hackathon project has generative AI, transformers, or LLMs (large language models), Bikash is all ears.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what students are building with these tools. There’s so much happening in AI right now—it’s exciting.”
He’s less focused on web apps and more curious about how you push the boundaries with modern machine learning.
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🧘 Advice for First-Time Hackers
Feeling nervous? Bikash gets it. But here’s what he wants you to know:
“Relax. Don’t be afraid of being judged. Everyone starts somewhere.”
Whether you’re a college senior or a 7th grader (yep, we really have one this year), his advice is to treat the hackathon as a learning experience. Be curious, build scrappy, and don’t aim for perfection right away.
💬 Final Thoughts
Bikash Thapa’s story is one of growth—personally, professionally, and technically. From full-stack development to cutting-edge ML, from introverted undergrad to mentor—he’s done a bit of everything.
“Just take the first step. You’ll surprise yourself.”
We’re thrilled to have him on the mentor team. And who knows—your project might be the one he remembers most.