# I’m Karthik Sivacharan

> I’m a designer engineer, so I design and build products. I got into design by accident at a startup I was building with friends after undergrad, and these days I lead design at Trainwell and build Zeno and multicn on the side.

Web page: https://www.karthiksivacharan.me/about-me

Currently: [Leading everything design @ Trainwell](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/trainwell/id1466445684)

I’m a designer engineer, so I design and build products, duh. I like breaking problems into smaller chunks I can actually solve, prototyping quickly and testing it out in the real world.

## I got into design by accident and a bit of luck.

I was trying to build a tool with some friends in undergrad and someone had to design and build it, so I taught myself Sketch, Figma and React. Somewhere in the process I just fell in love with the idea of using design to solve problems.

## How I ~~build~~ prompt

The way I work has changed a lot over the years. These days it’s pretty much all inside a terminal, where I prototype my ideas with a design token system and a bunch of markdown files. I mostly use the Figma canvas to document decisions and the whys behind them.

## My rule of thumb

> “Take care of the people, the products, and the profits, in that order.”
>
> – Ben Horowitz, The Hard Thing About Hard Things

## Experience

- **Trainwell** (2024-now): IC product designer, leading design
- **Carnegie Mellon** (2023-24): Grad school, plus a stint in VC
- **Backstage** (2021-22): Product designer, founding team
- **Tread** (2019-21): Co-founder, design + product

## Current Projects

- [Zeno](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zeno-steps-for-screen-time/id6757132863) (2026-now): iOS app where my steps unlock screen time
- [multicn](https://multicn.vercel.app/) (2026-now): Open-source multiplayer UI for shadcn apps

## Tools & Software

My stack: Claude, Xcode, Vercel, cmux, BrowserOS, Figma, GitHub

## Life Lately

In reverse chronology:

- Currently leading everything design at Trainwell
- Learning to off-road in my Mojito Jeep 💚
- Building Zeno, an iOS app that makes me earn my scrolling time in steps
- Working through level 2 archery
- Chasing sunsets :)
- Exploring a new city every 3 months!

## Availability

I’m open to Product Designer, Design Engineer and Founding Product Designer roles right now. I design products and I also ship production code (this site, the Zeno iOS app and AI agent tools). I did 0-to-1 work as the Founding Product Designer at Backstage and as a co-founder of Tread, and I’m now an IC designer at Trainwell (Series A). You can reach me by email (karthiksivacharan@gmail.com) or book a call (https://cal.com/ksivacharan).

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## Working on something and need a designer who can also build it?

[Let’s talk](mailto:karthiksivacharan@gmail.com) · [Book a call](https://cal.com/ksivacharan) · [X](https://x.com/k_sivacharan) · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/karthik-sivacharan/) · [GitHub](https://github.com/Karthik-Sivacharan)