About Little Patakha
Little Patakha is a BIPOC woman-owned children’s brand that offers educational and authentically inclusive high-quality, screen-free books, games and toys, catered to early childhood.
When I became a mom, I went looking for media that could nurture my daughter’s curiosity, build her skills, and help her see herself — and others — in the stories she learned from.
What I found instead was a frustrating gap.
Educational products? They existed, but most were one-size-fits-all, with no room for different cultures, languages, or ways of thinking.
Multicultural products? They were not designed to support the vast array of developmental milestones our children go through from birth to early elementary school age.
It felt like I had to choose between developing her mind or opening her worldview.
I refused to choose.
And that’s how Little Patakha was born — a bold idea built on weaving inclusion directly into the learning — not as an afterthought, but as a foundation.
I talked about how important this work is in my TEDx talk in 2025 - give a listen.
At Little Patakha, we create products that are both multicultural and educational. They help children hit key developmental milestones, while breaking down stereotypes and opening the door to real meaningful cross-cultural experiences.
Our process is intentional. This isn’t about checking a diversity box. It’s about raising children who will thrive everywhere — in classrooms, in communities, and in a world that’s always changing. We work with early childhood experts to design fewer, better toys such as screen-free books, games, and activities that spark creativity, social-emotional learning, and problem-solving skills. Because the world your child will grow up in is competitive, multicultural, and interconnected where they’ll need more than just facts — they’ll need empathy, adaptability, and the ability to see from perspectives far beyond their own.
We’re here for the parents who want their kids to ask questions, to think deeply, and to dream bigger.
And we’re here for the children who will grow up knowing that their curiosity has no borders.
Little Patakha means Little Firecracker. Here’s to raising a generation full of them.
Meet The Team
Akshata Nayak | Founder
A thought leader, speaker and educator, Akshata has two Master of Science degrees, in Biochemistry and Applied Clinical Nutrition. She is a serial entrepreneur and launched Little Patakha when it became apparent to her that it is important to boost confidence and nurture acceptance at an early age to overcome social biases and inspire authentic inclusion within any community. She is a strong advocate for the importance of representation in children’s media.
Akshata enjoys a mentoring role to empower entrepreneurs, especially BIPOC women, to believe in themselves and grow their ideas.
Listen to Akshata's 2025 TEDx talk about the Importance of Inclusion in Children's Media.
Anushree Chokappa | Designer
Anushree defines businesses with well crafted brand identity and strategy. As a lettering artist, she hand draws all the lettering for our products.
At Little Patakha, she works on all product and communication design to ensure that it beams with a playful, confident and out-of-the-ordinary personality.
Yogita Chawdhary | Illustrator
Yogita is a self-taught digital artist!
She loves to bring different moods and imaginations to life through her illustrations.
As the chief illustrator at Little Patakha she stirs magical colors with the right proportions of fun, observation and quirkiness to create the wonderful universe you see on these pages and in our products.
Aparna Hegde | Illustrator
Aparna is an animator and illustrator who loves stories and is always trying to find new ways to tell them.
At Little Pataka, she works in the colourful, charming universe created by Yogita and brings in playful illustrations to expand it further.
Dave Schmidt | Business Advisor
Dave Schmidt kickstarted his career at Burton Snowboards before venturing into a whirlwind of industries. From startups to established consumer good companies, he's had his hands in everything from apparel to toys, with side trips through skincare, electronics, sporting goods, and even beverages. Dave is an advisor (and occasional therapist) to Little Patakha.
