How Madhura Sekar is Shaping the Next-Gen Private Banking Experience

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Madhura Sekar

Madhura Sekar is a visionary product designer who helps high-net-worth individuals and founders bring their ideas to life. Specializing in UX/UI and branding, she works with pre-seed and early-stage startups to transform concepts into user-friendly, impactful products. Now building her own agency, Madhura ensures every founder's vision becomes a polished, functional reality.

1Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your design background.

I am Madhura Sekar, a visionary product designer working with high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) and founders to bring their ideas to life. I specialize in helping pre-seed and early-stage startups craft their visual identity and digital presence, transforming ambitious concepts into tangible, user-friendly experiences.

With a Master’s degree from Parsons School of Design and Cornell Tech, I combine strategy, design, and business insights to create high-impact digital products. I am now establishing my own independent design agency, focusing on collaborating closely with founders who need a visionary execution partner to bring their ideas to life.

2What made you become/why did you choose to become a designer/artist?
I’ve always been drawn to the intersection of creativity and logic. Design allows me to create structure out of ambiguity, turning raw ideas into refined, impactful experiences that shape industries.
3Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.
I am an independent designer building my own agency, where I collaborate with pre-seed and early-seed founders to transform their vision into a tangible product. My expertise lies in UX/UI and branding, ensuring that startups stand out from day one with a polished and functional design foundation.
4What does “design” mean to you?
Design is about making ideas real—it’s the bridge between a founder’s vision and a user’s seamless experience. It’s both art and strategy, combining aesthetics with deep problem-solving.
5What’s your favorite kind of design and why?
I love working on early-stage startup products because they offer a blank canvas. Every decision I make directly impacts the product’s success, and that level of influence is exhilarating.
6To you, what makes a “good” design?
Good design is instinctive and effortless. If a user doesn’t have to think about how something works, that’s when you know the design is truly exceptional.
7Describe your design style and its main characteristics.
My design style is clean, refined, and strategic—every element serves a purpose. I focus on clarity, contrast, and balance, ensuring that functionality and beauty coexist harmoniously.
8Tell us about your design process.

Discovery & Strategy – Understanding the founder’s vision and aligning on goals.

Wireframing & Prototyping – Rapid iteration and user validation.

Visual Execution – High-fidelity UI design and branding.

Launch & Scale – Ensuring the product is market-ready with a seamless experience.

9Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your design process?
Yes, India’s rich visual culture has given me a deep appreciation for detail, color, and structured complexity, which subtly influences my approach to digital design here in the west.
10Congratulations! As the winner of the 2025 MUSE Design Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?
This award validates my vision—that even in fintech, where design is often overlooked, UX can redefine industries. It’s a proud moment that highlights the role of design in business success, and kudos to the founders who recognize this at the very beginning stage.
11Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2025 MUSE Design Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?
The Sandbox Wealth Beta Design was a complete departure from the traditional wealth management platform aesthetic. Instead of cluttered dashboards, we created a clean, polished, and sophisticated interface that feels intuitive, modern, and premium. We entered it because it redefines how financial tools should look and function.
12What was the biggest challenge with this project?
Redesigning a complex financial tool without sacrificing simplicity. Making something powerful yet intuitive is always the hardest challenge.
13How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?
Winning a gold has amplified my reach, allowing me to connect with more founders and investors looking for premium UX expertise.
14What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?

1. The power of design to shape billion-dollar ideas.

2. The blend of art, psychology, and technology.

3.The ever-evolving nature of design challenges.

15Where do you see the evolution of design industry going over the next 5-10 years?
Design will become even more integrated with AI and automation, allowing designers to focus on big-picture strategy rather than just execution.
16If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Design Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?

1. Solve real problems—aesthetic design alone won’t get you far.

2. Think beyond pixels—understand business, psychology, and user behavior.

3. Master storytelling—great design tells a compelling story.

17Who has inspired you in your life and why?
Artists like KAWS, Joan Miró, and Jackson Pollock have heavily influenced my creative approach. Their bold expression, abstraction, and movement inspire me to view UX as a form of digital art, where every interaction is a composition of function and aesthetics.
18What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?
Be fearlessly iterative. The best designs don’t come from the first draft—they emerge through continuous refinement.
19Do you have anything else you would like to add to the interview?
Design isn’t just a profession—it’s a way of thinking. The ability to create something from nothing, to bring ideas into reality, is what excites me the most. I’m just getting started.
Sandbox Wealth Beta Design | 2025

Madhura Sekar

Madhura Sekar is a visionary product designer who helps high-net-worth individuals and founders bring their ideas to life. Specializing in UX/UI and branding, she works with pre-seed and early-stage startups to transform concepts into user-friendly, impactful products. Now building her own agency, Madhura ensures every founder's vision becomes a polished, functional reality.


Explore the journey of Weijing Zhao, the Gold and Silver Winner of the 2024 MUSE Design Awards. His expertise in architecture, product, service, and interaction design shapes projects from consumer goods to municipal systems. With experience at top firms and as an educator, Weijing Zhao now channels his vision into Functional Form Block Allies, a studio uniting designers across regions to foster innovation

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