Headline

Building Brand Experiences at DNA Networks | Founder and Director at Aakanksha Trust

About

I split my time between two very different worlds - one that builds brands, and another that builds classrooms. It’s ironic how opposite they are, yet both keep teaching me the same thing: an idea only matters when it changes people's perspectives and is backed with timely effort. At DNA, I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with some of the most iconic brands in the country and learn from some of the best in the business, gaining a first-hand view of how industries evolve, how ambiguity is navigated, and how long-term strategy is built in fast-paced environments. On the other hand, I started Aakanksha at 16 as a small experiment and today, it’s a fully free learning ecosystem in Bangalore supporting 72+ BPL families, powered by 120+ volunteer teachers. Building it has been my real-world crash course in systems design, stakeholder management, structural inequality and India’s socio-economic and digital divides. Our biggest KPI: Our students who became first-generation graduates, entrepreneurs, and eventually, teachers themselves. The two sides of my work often overlap - creativity, empathy, and structure are constants in both. One keeps me curious about people; the other keeps me honest about purpose.

Location

Bengaluru

AI stack

claude code

codex

elevenlabs

midjourney

notebooklm

obsidian

Work experience

Key Account Manager at DNA Entertainment Networks, Oct 2024 - Present · 1 yr 11 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Building brands, IPs, creative strategy, and communities across the worlds of sports and alcobev. Key Accounts - Diageo India (The Good Craft Co.), Kingfisher, Suntory Global Spirits, Marriott Bonvoy

Founder and Director at Aakanksha, Mar 2019 - Present · 7 yrs 6 mos, Bangalore Urban, Karnataka, India, I started Aakanksha at 16, an after-school learning space for children from low-income communities, and scaled it into a structured, high-impact education ecosystem - - Built and expanded an after-school centre that supports students academically, creatively, and personally. - Launched a real-world incubation cell, helping students as young as 16 start micro-businesses. - Created a financial aid program for first-generation college students to pursue higher education without disruption. - Designed a complete learning structure - daily classes, a defined curriculum, creative learning, competitions, and skill-development workshops. - Led a 120+ volunteer team and managed corporate partnerships, fundraising, operations, and long-term strategy.on follows. Aakanksha truly has shaped me in ways no resume bullet can ever explain, but my students definitely can :))

Creative Manager at 4Lunches, Jul 2023 - Sep 2024 · 1 yr 3 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, At 4Lunches, a Bangalore-based XR studio, I managed the creative team in crafting immersive experiences that range from jaw-dropping escapism to intuitive, utility-driven solutions. We worked closely with Meta to advance the Augmented Reality ecosystem in India, building Unreal (pun intended) experiences that have garnered industry recognition for innovation. Key accounts - Singapore Tourism Board, Women's Premier League, Amazon Prime UK, Sony Pictures, Duroflex

Hustler’s Collective - Team Lead at Under 25 Universe, Dec 2022 - Mar 2023 · 4 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, Led one of the core student teams during India’s biggest Youth Festival - The Under 25 Summit. Executed 2 campaigns for the marketing of the same

Space Warrior at Under 25 Universe, Jul 2022 - May 2023 · 11 mos, Manipal, Space Warrior is the face of Under 25 on their campus. A space warrior needs to believe and harness the power of community and the voice of the youth. My key responsibilities included curating large scale experiences, building both an online and offline student community, ideating campaigns, putting together and heading a team of my own in my city (Manipal)

Client Servicing Intern at Dentsu Creative, Jul 2022 - Sep 2022 · 3 mos, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Marketing Team at Under 25 Universe, Mar 2022 - Jun 2022 · 4 mos, Manipal

Education

BAMC, Communication and Media Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education

High School Diploma, History; Economics; Psychology; Political Science, Christ University, Bangalore