# Ashwini Asokan

> Ashwini Asokan is a designer and entrepreneur who co-founded Mad Street Den and led its Vue.ai business. Her career connects classical dance, interaction design at Carnegie Mellon, mobile innovation at Intel and applied AI. She also writes about design and technology and contributes to the Indian founder community. Mad Street Den was acquired by M2P Fintech in 2025; July 2026 reporting documents her departure.

- **Role:** Co-founder and former CEO, Mad Street Den (departure reported July 2026)
- **Organizations:** Mad Street Den, Vue.ai, Intel, SaaSBoomi
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in Visual Communication, M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, University of Madras, Master’s in Interaction Design, Carnegie Mellon University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Mad Street Den and led the development of its commercial AI business., Launched Vue.ai as a retail-focused AI vertical., Helped expand SaaSBoomi’s network of experienced founders.

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Co-authored a paper on cultural identities and movement grammars with Jonathan Cagan.
- **Before Mad Street Den** — Worked at Intel, including leading the mobile innovation portfolio at Intel Labs.
- **2013** — Returned to India and began the Mad Street Den venture; some company histories use 2014 as the founding year.
- **2016** — Launched retail AI vertical Vue.ai.
- **2023** — Hosted SaaSBoomi’s first women-founders session.
- **2025** — Mad Street Den was acquired by M2P Fintech.
- **2026** — Discussed leaving Mad Street Den in a July interview.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Mad Street Den and led the development of its commercial AI business.
- Launched Vue.ai as a retail-focused AI vertical.
- Helped expand SaaSBoomi’s network of experienced founders.
- Credited by SaaSBoomi leadership with helping raise women’s participation from below 3% to 15% by August 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — A Mint interview documented her departure after the sale to M2P Fintech and her account of the team’s role in choosing the buyer.
- **2025-12** — Mad Street Den held a farewell gathering on 19 December.
- **2025-08** — SaaSBoomi published an account of her contributions to founder mentoring and women’s participation.

## Links

- Website: https://ladyashborg.medium.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashwiniasokan/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/LadyAshBorg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladyashborg/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ashwini-asokan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26