Ayushi Chandaria
Ayushi Chandaria is a Kenyan entrepreneur, educator, and design-thinking evangelist who is building the next generation of problem-solvers across Africa. After earning a dual degree in Product Design and Computer Science from Stanford University in 2018, she spent two years as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company, where she advised FMCG and telecom clients on digital-growth strategies. In 2021 she returned to Nairobi to launch the Design Thinking Program at United States International University, Africa (USIU-Africa).
As founding director, Chandaria has embedded human-centred design into the core curriculum, created a prototyping lab stocked with 3-D printers and laser cutters, and trained more than 1,400 undergraduates and 300 community innovators. Her students have developed projects ranging from solar-powered cold-storage boxes for smallholder farmers to an SMS-based mental-health triage tool now piloting in Kibera. She also runs Design Sprints for Good, a quarterly boot camp that pairs corporates with grassroots organisations to co-create solutions to pressing social issues.
Chandaria sits on Kenya’s National Innovation Agency advisory board, mentors women coders through AkiraChix, and speaks globally on inclusive innovation. Her impact earned her a place on Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 (Education, 2024) and the 2025 Business Daily “Women to Watch” list, underscoring her commitment to leveraging design for equitable development.