TEDxMMCOE

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Amey Kadam

  Ameya is a storyteller and content creator. He began as a child actor in the famous Marathi television serial De Dhamal. He later studied Applied Art and photography, graduating as a gold medallist and a CAG award winner. While still in college, driven by curiosity to understand how reality television works, he applied for MTV Roadies and went on to become the first Marathi contestant to reach the Top 5 in Roadies Season 7. After graduating, he worked at the advertising agency Mudra, before returning to his art college as a professor, where he taught advertising campaigns for nearly nine years. Post the pandemic, he moved fully into content creation and is now best known for Bha2pa, a YouTube series exploring food, culture, and everyday stories.

• Chaitanya Deshpande

  Chaitanya Deshpande, better known as Saadha Manus, is a professional freestyle footballer and panna athlete from Pune who expresses himself through creative football tricks. He has represented India at international events and world championships, performing on global stages in front of some of the biggest names in football. A 2x TEDx speaker, Chaitanya shares his journey of dropping out, choosing passion over convention, and turning a niche sport into a full‑time career. Now a full‑time content creator, he uses humor, storytelling, and his “Saadha Manus” outlook to inspire young people to chase unconventional dreams while entertaining audiences around the world.

• Devanshi Saraogi

  Devanshi Saraogi is an artist and creative entrepreneur, and the founder of D RefleQtion, a branding studio based in India. She began her journey at 17 by creating an art page on Instagram, where she sold hand-painted artworks. She later dropped out of college and, without formal design education, financial safety nets, or access to a laptop, taught herself branding and design. Her first logo was created using only her phone. Over time, she transformed this art page into what would eventually become her branding studio. Originally from Assam, Devanshi moved to Mumbai to build her business independently. Over the years, she has grown her studio from small freelance projects to leading large-scale branding engagements, progressing from charging ₹500 for her early work to closing six- and seven-figure projects.

• Hrushikesh Joshi

  Lt Cdr Hrushikesh Joshi (R), is a singer‑songwriter-actor, and MMCOE (2012, Electronics & Telecommunications) alumnus from Pune. After a decade in the Indian Navy’s Executive Branch as an Officer, also holding the coveted ‘Command at Sea’, he chose an early retirement to follow his passion for art. He has since released multiple original songs on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music; and his next album is soon to be released. He has also written the title track for the film “ITS TOO MUCH” sung by Mr Adnan Sami, featured a ghazal with Zee Music, and written & produced a tribute song fir the Indian Navy Official YouTube channel. A professional lawn tennis player, he balances his creative work with his role as corporate strategist, and actively supports causes like environmental protection and ending animal cruelty.

• Priyanshi Choksi

  Priyanshi is a Chartered Accountant, tax lawyer, and corporate trainer based in Mumbai and New York. She co-founded Beyond the Degree, an education consultancy that works with universities and student communities across India to help young people build careers that balance professional degrees with unconventional interests. A national-level gold-medallist swimmer and professional Odissi dancer, she has also worked as a Radio Mirchi jockey and celebrity talk show host, interviewing 30+ Bollywood artists, sports personalities, and entrepreneurs. In 2016, she represented India at a Global Leadership Conference hosted by the White House, received a letter of appreciation from Michelle Obama, and served as the flag bearer for NYU School of Law convocation. Today, Priyanshi mentors students and young professionals, encouraging them to embrace multi-passionate, layered identities beyond a single “safe” label.

• Riddhi Shah

  Riddhi Shah is a mental health practitioner, graphologist, and social innovator dedicated to fostering human connection through empathy and art. Holding a Master’s degree from Christ University, her career spans de-addiction centers, schools, and corporate leadership at firms like Bosch; she currently serves as the lead Psychologist at Elevate Now alongside her private practice. As the co-founder of ‘Dear You’, she leads a postcard initiative that blends psychology and creativity to ensure individuals feel truly seen and heard. Driven by an insatiable curiosity to decode the "why" of human behavior, Riddhi advocates for emotional intelligence as a foundation for a more connected society.