

​​Hi! I'm Akshay. 🦩
I'm a technical founder-turned-product leader, passionate about shaping a more caring & sustainable world. My work explores how connected technology can help foster kinship between people and our planet.
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I studied Product Design Engineering + Psychology at Stanford.
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Outside of work, I’m a professional musician + climate activist. 🎻💚
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Email: adinakar@alumni.stanford.edu​
Featured Work

Career Story (so far!)
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I'm currently leading the product team at Windborne, where we're shaping design / vision / strategy for our best-in-class suite of weather forecasting solutions.
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​I spent the past 2 years leading product & business strategy at Focal, a startup designing climate-friendly electric heaters + digital control interfaces (to eliminate propane gas usage) in outdoor restaurants/hospitality environments. ​
Our "spot heating" system combines smart sensing with precise targeting to warm individual people, rather than entire spaces – resulting in a 95% energy efficiency improvement (along with personalized comfort control for guests & less labor for staff).
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Previously, I co-founded Tangible (acquired by Easel AI), a venture-backed consumer hardware company (focused on supporting long-distance relationships) that was invited to pitch on Shark Tank!
My team spent 4 years developing & scaling a paradigm-shifting “teleportation pillow” + mobile app that enabled loved ones to feel physically present together over video calls. We made it possible to share hugs, feel warmth, and naturally interact over distance like you're sitting on the same couch. Our product went viral, and we grew the business to help over 19,000 couples & families.
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While in college, I invented Stikato – a portable music stand that sticks to walls – and sold the product on Amazon after a successful Kickstarter campaign. After achieving a 10x return on my original investment, I paused the business to focus on Tangible.
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Outside of work, I've dedicated much of my free time to researching and accelerating cross-disciplinary solutions to climate change. This has drawn me into a diversity of life experiences, including:
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Sustainability-focused volunteering with Sunrise Movement, Pacific Beach Coalition, and American Energy Society.
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Studying abroad for a summer in Copenhagen - where I researched electrification & urban permaculture.
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Living / working on an organic farm (WWOOF program!)​​​​​​​​​
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I'm also deeply passionate about strengthening society – especially when it comes to empowering individuals with disabilities:
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​Created Moonwalk, a DIY haptic feedback prosthetic device for individuals with impaired tactile sensation.
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Published Will You Play With Me, a children's book about empathy and inclusivity (foreword by Abraham Verghese).
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If I'm not in designer-mode, you'll likely find me recording pop violin covers, writing mini-mysteries, hanging rim on the basketball court, creating climate concept art, or sharing wild tales from my unforgettable experience raising a flock of backyard chickens.

Press Features
​• Akshay The Inventor (Stanford Magazine) - What happens when a multitalented tinkerer graduates. ​
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• Tangible Teleportation (Startland News) - Shawnee Mission East grad re-envisions how humans communicate over distance.
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• Reinventing The Music Stand (Ponoko) - By combining engineering and artistry, a product designer and musician solves a critical problem – and revolutionizes an industry.
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• Johnson County Post: Shawnee Mission graduate creates prosthetic that lets people play violin by flexing their toes.​
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• FroSoHappy, a movement within college dorms to spread joy. ​​
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• Stanford Flashmob Orchestra, a group that serendipitously performs pop covers in public to spread delight.
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• NYO-USA Alum Spotlight: Carnegie Hall feature video.



