Seasoned leader in design, strategy, and development,
bringing 25 years of expertise from renowned companies like Tata Digital, Accel, Google,
and Flipkart. Pivotal leadership roles, significantly contributing to
product innovation and
venture growth. Beyond hands-on experience, a strong track record of
advising companies on
product strategy and team building. Alumnus of the Indian Institute of
Technology, Bombay
(Master of Design) and the College of Engineering, Trivandrum (Bachelor of Architecture).
Contributions recognized with multiple awards and patents.
Career Overview
Throughout my career, I have specialized in driving product strategy and design for
early-stage startups, serving as both a Venture Partner and an independent consultant. In these
roles, I have provided comprehensive advisory across product strategy, innovation, market
evaluation, growth initiatives, product development methodologies, system design, and the strategic
integration of AI/Machine Learning.
My experience further extends to leading user experience teams, conceptualizing and
designing complex integrated systems, and driving significant product development initiatives at
major technology companies like Google, where I led the design for global products like Maps and
Search, and Tavant Technologies, where I built the user experience
team and championed a new business line for outsourced development.
Early Ventures & Machine Learning Foundations
My journey began in 1999 as a founding member of RightHalf, at IIT
Bombay, the first
campus
startup in India. Following its acquisition by Purple
Yogi, I relocated to Bangalore to work on
their flagship product, the Yogi Internet Discovery System. This experience provided my foundational
exposure to Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, working alongside pioneers in these fields
and igniting a lasting passion for the capabilities and opportunities within these technologies.
I further worked on the Stratify (company renamed) Discovery Explorer which combined
transparent
search, integrated
categorization and entity recognition (such as people, locations and organizations) with taxonomy
management capabilities and the Stratify Taxonomy Manager.
Leading User Experience & Incubating Innovation
In early 2002, I joined Tavant Technologies to
establish and lead their user
experience team. A key achievement was conceptualizing and designing an integrated, browser-based
mortgage system for a US client. This complex undertaking involved seamlessly integrating seven
disparate proprietary systems—from lead generation to loan servicing—onto a single, modular
platform, demanding intricate information architecture and system design.
Furthermore, I championed and launched a new business line: an outsourced development
center specifically for startups. Our inaugural project, SkyGrid (InfGrid), achieved significant
recognition,
being one of only 10 apps featured on the iPad's homepage at launch, winning an Adobe Max Honorable
mention, and subsequently being acquired by Facebook.
Driving Impact at Google
I joined Google in early 2007 as the first
full-time designer in the Bangalore office,
assigned to the nascent Maker
project. Over 4.5 years, I led multiple product iterations,
leveraging advancements in web technologies to enhance capabilities and features while localizing
the product for 190
countries.
As part of the broader Maps team, I conceptualized and implemented landmark-based
driving directions on Google Maps, a critical innovation for regions like India where traditional
street names and structured address data were often unavailable.
My tenure at Google extended to diverse products, including initial work on Search
(India) and later as the International Lead for non-English Search. I contributed to the design of
various products and features such as Custom
News, Transliteration,
and key Emerging Markets initiatives including music (India), shopping, and Google Fonts.
In my role
as India Lead, I was
responsible for hiring and mentoring the design team and representing Google at conferences and
academic institutions.
Venture Capital & Studio Leadership
In 2015, I transitioned to Accel Partners as a
Venture Partner, focusing on product
design, strategy, and growth for portfolio companies. A significant contribution was helping
companies integrate data-driven decision-making practices into their core operations.
At Accel, I was given the unique opportunity to found Design Ventures, an independent
venture development studio funded by Accel. This studio focused on end-to-end product strategy and
development, working with Accel's seed-funded companies such as CommonFloor and MoneyView, while
also offering full-stack design and development services to established companies within and outside
the portfolio, including PolicyBazaar.
I returned to Accel Partners in 2016 to concentrate on portfolio companies in their
post-market-fit or growth phases. This included strategic engagement with a wide array of companies
such as AgroStar, Blackbuck, BookMyShow, Chargebee, Clevertap, Cogoport, CrownIt, FabHotels,
FactorDaily, Flipkart, Indifi, Moglix, MoneyView, Portea, RentoMojo, Swiggy, UrbanClap, and Vedantu.
During this period, I also served briefly as the interim Head of Design at Flipkart,
on assignment from Accel, collaborating with leadership on hiring and mentoring the product design
team.
Independent Advisory & Interim Leadership
From April 2018 to April 2022, I worked independently with early-growth stage startups
across education, finance, analytics, and e-commerce. In these engagements, I typically served as an
interim Head of Product or Design, focusing on creating new experiences and products. My
responsibilities encompassed mentoring and expanding in-house design and product management teams,
recruiting executive design leadership, and partnering with founders to define product strategy and
long-term planning.
Executive Leadership at Tata Digital
In April 2022, I joined Tata
Digital as Vice President & Head of Design - Fintech, leading product
design for financial services and technologies within their new super-app venture. My team was
instrumental in delivering a comprehensive suite of financial products, including credit cards,
loans, insurance, investments, and more. I have since (July 2024) transitioned from Tata Digital to
pursue new
areas of interest.
Award Winning Projects
Macromedia Award (for ColorsOfIndia.com)
Adobe MAX Honorable Mentions - Rich Internet Applications (for InfiGrid)
Google Excellence in Innovation Award (for Google Maps)