Prajakta Kulkarni

Prajakta Kulkarni is an Innovation Consultant at EPAM Continuum, a global innovation design consultancy, and has taught Design Thinking for Harvard Professional Development Programs since 2016. Her expertise is in building innovation that is right for customers, businesses, and organizations through an understanding of the humans involved.

Prajakta has helped develop customer-centric offerings that create value in the market as well as employee-focused processes, tools and metrics that sustain innovation. She enjoys engaging with people, understanding their problems, and figuring out creative solutions.

With over 10 years of innovation consulting experience, Prajakta has worked with clients from various industries including financial services, mobility, non-profit, medical devices, and consumer packaged goods (CPG). She has also worked with early-stage startups to understand market fit, develop business plans and investor pitches. For the past five years, she has been working with EPAM Continuum helping organizations succeed in uncharted territories through her expertise in strategy, business, and human-centered design.

Prajakta has an engineering background with a master’s degree in innovation management from Carnegie Mellon University.

EDUCATION

• Carnegie Mellon University Master's Engineering and Technology Innovation Management Program 2009 – 2009

• Maharashtra Institute of Technology StudyProject Management 2007 – 2008

• Savitribai Phule Pune University Bachelor in Engineering 2002 – 2006

Experience

• Senior Innovation Consultant EPAM Continuum Mar 2018 – Present

• Course Instructor Professional Development - Harvard Division of Continuing Education Seasonal Jan 2016 – Present

• Mentor Women Accelerators Jan 2021 – Jun 2021

• Innovation Capability Strategist Continuum Sep 2015 – Mar 2018

• Associate Business Consultant ZS Associates Nov 2014 – Aug 2015

• Sr. Consultant Kalypso Aug 2010 – Feb 2014

• QoLT Foundry 1 yr 7 mos

  • Foundry Associate (Internship)
  • Graduate Student in the Engineering and Technology Innovation Management

• Innovation Intern QoLT Foundry (Carnegie Mellon University) May 2009 – Dec 2009

• Design Engineer Aker Kvaerner Mar 2008 – Aug 2008

• Associate Design Engineer I Fluor Daniel Jul 2006 – Aug 2007