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Kulfi Collective launches creative tech residency with Maker’s Asylum for young talent
Five-week programme blends AI, design, engineering and storytelling through hands-on learning
MUMBAI: Kulfi’s latest scoop is all about serving up the next generation of creators. Kulfi Collective has partnered with Maker’s Asylum to launch Play It Forward, a five-week creative technology residency aimed at nurturing multidisciplinary talent at the intersection of creativity, technology and culture.
The programme, which opens applications on July 15, is designed for emerging creatives, designers, filmmakers, AI artists and engineers, offering them an opportunity to work on real-world projects while developing skills across multiple disciplines. The inaugural residency will run from September to October 2026 and will initially be open to a curated group of Mumbai-based students and recent graduates.
The initiative builds on Play It Forward, which began in 2024 as a short film competition inspired by Kulfi Collective’s own beginnings. Fourteen years ago, the company’s founders won an iMac through a filmmaking contest, an experience they say helped launch their entrepreneurial journey. The residency expands that concept into a structured talent development programme focused on creative technology.
Participants will spend the first four weeks at Kulfi Collective’s Mumbai headquarters, collaborating with industry mentors, creative practitioners and technologists to develop original concepts. The final week will take place at Maker’s Asylum’s Goa campus, where residents will transform their ideas into working prototypes using fabrication tools, rapid prototyping and technical experimentation.
Before the residency begins, participants will complete a self-paced learning programme created by Maker’s Asylum. The curriculum covers core creative technology skills, including computer-aided design (CAD), electronics, physical computing, artificial intelligence workflows and rapid prototyping.
The programme will conclude with a public showcase in Mumbai, where participants will present their projects to industry leaders, creators and technologists. According to the organisers, selected projects could continue beyond the residency as installations, films, digital tools, cultural experiences or experimental prototypes.
Speaking about the initiative, Kulfi Collective, founder and chief executive officer, Advait Gupt said the future of creative work will increasingly belong to professionals who can move across disciplines.
“The next generation of creative talent won’t come from one discipline. They’ll be filmmakers who understand AI, engineers who tell stories, designers who understand fandom and build prototypes, and creators who can turn ideas into experiences that people actually want to spend time with. Play It Forward is our attempt to create a home for that kind of talent, a place where culture, craft and technology can collide, and where young creators can build work that is technically ambitious, emotionally resonant and culturally alive.”
Founded in 2013, Maker’s Asylum has established itself as one of India’s leading centres for maker education and innovation, with a community spanning students, educators, entrepreneurs and technologists.
Highlighting the partnership, Maker’s Asylum, founder, Vaibhav Chhabra said the residency combines technical learning with storytelling and cultural thinking.
“At Maker’s Asylum, we’ve always believed that the best way to learn is by making. What excites us about this partnership is that Play It Forward brings together technical curiosity, storytelling and cultural thinking. Together with Kulfi, we’re creating an environment where young makers can experiment across disciplines, build boldly and create work with real cultural relevance.”
As advertising, design, engineering and emerging technologies increasingly overlap, programmes such as Play It Forward reflect a growing industry push to equip young professionals with hybrid skill sets. For Kulfi Collective, the residency is also part of a broader strategy to strengthen India’s creative ecosystem by investing in talent capable of blending technology with culture-led storytelling.
