Rishihood University’s Preksha Baid Secures Top 5 Spot at DesignUp 2025 From 730+ Global Entries

Preksha Baid, a second year B.Design student at Rishihood University, is one of the youngest participants at DesignUp 2025, India’s most respected design and tech conference. The Rishihood University student competed with over 730 national and international designers and got shortlisted as one of the Top 5 Finalists. Her forward-thinking concept on the “Future of Currency” earned her an exclusive invitation to present on stage at the annual DesignUp 2025 Conference in Bangalore in the presence of more than 1,000 global leaders from design, technology, product, and creative industries.

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DesignUp, backed in 2025 by Google, Target, Uber and other global brands, is renowned for uniting the brightest minds in UX, design, and technology. The annual conference hosted full-day workshops on creative coding, accessibility, photography-driven visual thinking, and hands-on design practice, alongside talks by design leaders from J.P. Morgan, Kia, and other influential organisations. A jury of 10 senior industry experts evaluated all submissions, selecting the Top 10 and then the Top 5 finalists.

Among the finalists, Preksha stood out as the youngest finalist. She shared the stage with three master’s students and one engineering student from IIT. She was invited to present her work live on stage and showcase her concept on the prestigious 12x12 Finalist Wall, where each finalist displayed a dedicated panel for engagement with attendees. Responding to the theme “Future of Currency,” her idea explored a provocative question - “What if memories were currency? What if your best experiences could buy you a house?” and visualised a world where memory-driven value systems reshape human behaviour, social exchange, and decision-making. Her team followed a structured design process involving problem definition, user empathy, prototyping, and scenario visualisation, and submitted a detailed concept document that impressed the DesignUp jury.

The opportunity was identified by Rishihood University’s design mentor, Pranaya, a full time faculty and NIFT graduate, whose guidance helped Preksha refine her idea and align it with DesignUp’s focus on human-centred innovation and future-oriented thinking.

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Mr. Sahil Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Rishihood University, said, “Preksha’s achievement reflects the kind of bold, future-focused thinking we aim to cultivate at Rishihood University. Competing against hundreds of designers from top institutions and emerging as one of the youngest finalists at DesignUp 2025 is a testament to her

imagination, her design discipline, and her willingness to question the world as it is. This is exactly the spirit of innovation India needs.”

At the event, Preksha attended immersive workshops on creative coding (P5.js), photography as a tool for visual thinking, and accessible UI design led by the Director of J.P. Morgan, where participants designed interfaces for challenging scenarios such as mobile usage with gloves on. She engaged with industry experts in an atmosphere she described as open, inspiring, and collaborative. Her accommodation and hospitality at the Marriott were fully sponsored by the organisers.