Headline

Founder–Builder | Designing systems that turn information into understanding | Ex–RoughSheet

About

I am a product-first founder and builder with over a decade of experience in taking products from zero to one. Having successfully scaled an ed-tech platform to 20,000+ users organically and consulted for diverse startups across fintech and AI, I specialize in problem framing, system design, and reducing complexity. I am currently focused on building AI-assisted information processing systems, leveraging my background in operational execution and user-centric product strategy to deliver impactful, scalable solutions.

Location

Bengaluru, Karnataka

AI stack

anthropic apis

antigravity

claude code

codex

cursor

n8n

Work experience

Product Manager and Product Builder at KnewsIQ, Jul 2025 - Aug 2026 · 1 y 1 mo, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Actively building a new product in stealth. • Building an early-stage product involving AI-assisted information processing • Focused on rapid prototyping, system design, and user validation

Product Consultant at Freelance, 2018 - 2024 · 6 yrs, Pune, Maharashtra, India, Worked with early-stage startups across education, agriculture, fintech, and AI, on product thinking and execution. Focus areas: - Problem framing and user research - MVP definition and scope discipline - UX and onboarding decisions - Metrics, feedback loops, and iteration cadence This long-running consulting track sharpened my judgment across domains and reinforced how often similar product mistakes repeat under different labels.

Co-Founder at RoughSheet, 2013 - 2018 · 5 yrs, Pune District, Built and scaled an adaptive learning platform for campus placement preparation. • Built an ed-tech platform used by 20,000+ students across IITs, NITs, and private colleges every year • Led product, user research, analytics, and organic growth • Scaled without paid marketing • Shut down after five years with clear learnings on distribution and timing

Co-Organizer at NITians for Villages (NVIL), Jul 2010 - May 2011 · 11 mos, Jaipur Area, India, NITians for Villages (NVIL) is a college-level NGO, which was an initiative by the alumni of Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, and I got the opportunity to join them in my second year of engineering school. NVIL had the mission to help the villages, close to Jaipur, in as many ways as possible, especially spreading general awareness among the villagers pertaining to various issues. As I rose through the ranks, I was finally appointed as the Co-Organizer in my third year. My responsibilities included: 1. budget allotment 2. devising innovative models and techniques to implement various projects for the benefit of the villagers and the village 3. handling negotiations with various companies to fund our projects 4. general management

Education

Bachelor of Technology - BTech, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur

Public links

github: https://github.com/ankurkulkarni90

ankurkulkarni.vercel.app: https://ankurkulkarni.vercel.app/