About Us

Leadership

Meet the experienced educators and industry professionals driving The Design Habitat's mission.

Vinayak Kulkarni

Associate Dean at DY Patil School of Design

Vinayak Kulkarni

Co-Founder

A seasoned educator and entrepreneur, Vinayak brings deep institutional knowledge from his tenure as Administrative Dean at MIT ADT University and now at D.Y Patil School of Design. At The Design Habitat, he channels that experience into building structured, rigorous pathways for aspiring designers, preparing them not just for entrance exams, but for careers that make a lasting impact.

Pranali Bankar

UX Lead at Google

Pranali Bankar

Co-Founder & Mentor

With over a decade of industry experience leading design teams at top tech companies, Pranali bridges the gap between academic theory and real-world execution. She mentors students on industry expectations, portfolio building, and the critical soft skills needed to thrive as a professional designer.