Deanna Badizadegan Mustain

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT DEANNA BADIZADEGAN MUSTAIN

Product Lead at Duolingo with 5+ years experience building 0-1. Former Symphony Musician with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Stanford MS & BS. I’ve spent my career at the intersection of creativity and technology, drawing from my background as both a professional symphony musician and a product manager. I gained early exposure to tech startups while at Stanford, studying Human Centered Design and Management Science & Engineering. I honed my music skillset studying with Grammy award-winning violist Kim Kashkashian and received graduate diplomas from the New England Conservatory and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The majority of my early career I spent as a professional symphony musician, performing on stages around the world with the Pittsburgh Symphony and St Paul Chamber Orchestra and honing my skills in collaboration, adaptability, and storytelling. Eventually, my curiosity and passion for problem-solving led me back into the tech world, where I’ve spent the past five years on the Product team at Duolingo and working with early-stage startups. My journey has been anything but conventional, but it’s taught me that creative roots can drive innovation in any field. Today, I\'m energized by using my creative foundations to build products, systems and tools that inspire and empower others on their own creative journeys. If you’re curious about unconventional career paths, interested in how technology is transforming creative industries, or looking for practical lessons on building user-centric products, I’d love to connect!