Creative studio Kulfi Collective today announced the launch of Play It Forward, a Creative Tech Residency developed in association with Maker’s Asylum to back India’s next generation of creative technologists. As the worlds of advertising, design, engineering, storytelling, and emerging technology continue to converge, the need for multidisciplinary talent has never been greater.
Yet, young creators have few opportunities to develop skills across these disciplines while working on real-world projects. Play It Forward was created to give that talent a place to experiment, learn and build. The program began in 2024 as a film competition inspired by Kulfi’s own origin story.
Fourteen years ago, the company’s founders won an iMac through a short film contest - an opportunity that helped kickstart their journey. The residency reimagines that spirit for today’s generation of multi-hyphenate creators. The five-week residency will bring together a highly curated cohort of emerging creatives, designers, filmmakers, AI artists and engineers to explore how technology can be used not just to solve problems but also to create experiences, tell stories, and shape culture.
Developed jointly by Kulfi Collective and Maker’s Asylum, the program combines Kulfi’s strengths in cultural intelligence, creative direction, creative technology, and production with Maker’s Asylum’s expertise in hands-on learning, prototyping, experimentation, and technical mentorship.
Participants will spend four weeks at Kulfi Collective’s Mumbai headquarters, working with industry experts, creative practitioners and mentors to develop original project concepts. The residency will culminate in a one-week intensive build sprint at Maker’s Asylum’s Goa campus, where residents will bring their ideas to life through rapid prototyping, fabrication and technical experimentation.
Ahead of the residency, the selected participants will complete a self-paced learning track developed by Maker’s Asylum covering core creative technology disciplines, including CAD, electronics, physical computing, AI workflows and rapid prototyping. The program will conclude with a public showcase in Mumbai, where residents will present their final projects to industry leaders, creators, technologists and the broader creative community.
Select projects from the residency will be developed as cultural prototypes, installations, films, tools, experiences or experiments with the ambition of living beyond the program. For Kulfi Collective, Play It Forward is part of a larger commitment to building the creative talent and operating system needed for a culture-first, technology-enabled future.
Across brand, content, IP, creators, social and emerging technology, Kulfi has consistently worked at the intersection of popular culture and creative experimentation. Play It Forward extends that philosophy into talent-building. “The next generation of creative talent won’t come from one discipline,” said Advait Gupt, Founder & CEO, Kulfi Collective.
“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 is one of India’s leading centres for maker education, innovation and hands-on learning, with a global community spanning students, educators, entrepreneurs and technologists. “At Maker’s Asylum, we’ve always believed that the best way to learn is by making,” said Vaibhav Chhabra, Founder, Maker’s Asylum.
“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.”
Applications for the inaugural cohort will open on July 15th 2026, with the residency running from September to October. The pilot edition will welcome a highly curated cohort of Mumbai-based students and recent graduates, with plans to expand the program in future years.
With Play It Forward, Kulfi Collective is investing in the builders, makers and storytellers who will define the next chapter of creativity in India.
Application Link: https://playitforward.kulficollective.com/?utm_source=press&utm_medium=press-release&utm_campaign=residency-2026
About Kulfi Collective:
Kulfi Collective is a creative studio that helps brands build in culture. We bring together creativity, data and technology to produce content, build communities and craft experiences for the world’s most culturally relevant brands.