Mitu Khandaker

Mitu Khandaker serves as an Associate Arts Professor at New York University since September 2015. As the CEO and Co-Founder of Glow Up Games from February 2019 to August 2024, Mitu led initiatives to create innovative gameplay frameworks that focus on diverse experiences, particularly those highlighting Black and brown joy. Under Mitu's leadership, Glow Up Games became the first woman of color-founded mobile games company to secure over $1 million in equity funding. Prior to this role, Mitu was a founding team member and Chief Creative Officer at Spirit AI from January 2016 to February 2019, where contributions included developing natural language processing tools to enhance game accessibility and engagement, leading to the company's acquisition by Twitch/Amazon in November 2022. Educational qualifications include a PhD in Creative Technologies and an MEng in Computer Engineering, both from the University of Portsmouth.