Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral
The BRIJ Incubator was officially unveiled at the 10th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival 2025, marking its first public appearance as a platform dedicated to nurturing early-stage cultural, craft-based, and creative ventures in India. The launch took place at The Stage, Art Park in Panjim, in the presence of Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal and Shri Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, setting the tone for a week of conversations and programming around making, entrepreneurship, and cultural innovation at the festival.
Conceived as an initiative that bridges traditional knowledge systems with contemporary entrepreneurial thinking, The BRIJ Incubator is designed to support founders, artisans, and cultural practitioners who are building sustainable, future-oriented enterprises rooted in heritage, material innovation, and community-led practices. Its debut at Serendipity offered audiences and industry stakeholders an early introduction to the Incubator’s mission and its first cohort of incubatees—Ekatra, Golden Feathers, and Karghewale.
Speaking at the launch, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Founder Patron of Serendipity Arts and The BRIJ, shared that the Incubator emerged from the realisation that while India has an extraordinary depth of cultural knowledge and craft practice, there are limited structured pathways for these ideas to grow into sustainable enterprises. He noted that the Incubator aims to thoughtfully bridge tradition and entrepreneurship, building long-term value for artisans, founders, and India’s cultural economy. Launching the initiative at the Serendipity Arts Festival, he said, felt appropriate as festivals are spaces where ideas are tested, conversations emerge, and new ecosystems begin.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Vivek Aggarwal highlighted the evolving role of Serendipity Arts Festival in strengthening India’s cultural infrastructure. He acknowledged how platforms such as Serendipity are increasingly engaging with initiatives like The BRIJ Incubator to connect the arts with India’s startup and innovation ecosystem, thereby creating structured pathways for cultural entrepreneurship and long-term growth in the sector.
Mr. Mohit Dhawan, spokesperson for The BRIJ Incubator and President, Investment Office, Hero Enterprise, shared that the Incubator has grown out of years of listening to founders, artisans, and innovators who are doing meaningful work but often lack the structured support needed to mature their ideas into enterprises. He added that the goal is to create responsible pathways for cultural ventures to evolve while remaining true to the communities and practices they represent, and that Serendipity’s milestone year provided the right environment to begin this journey.
The launch also introduced The BRIJ Incubator’s broader programme at Serendipity Arts Festival 2025, which includes a flagship panel on Business Model Innovation and Funding Landscape in Arts & Crafts, featuring representatives from the Government of Goa, Catalyst AIC, Caspian Equity, HCL Foundation, and IFMR. The programme further includes Spark Idea: Pitch Opportunity, India’s first pitch platform dedicated to craft and culture-led startups, along with hands-on Maker’s Asylum workshops running throughout the festival.
Additional engagements include Craft Hub sessions led by incubatees Ekatra and Karghewale, offering immersive experiences in sustainable gifting, textile upcycling, and handloom weaving, as well as silent panels and making-led conversations exploring themes such as Jugaad versus Maker Culture and the evolving relationship between humans, materials, and craft.
The BRIJ Incubator’s presence at Serendipity Arts Festival 2025 marks the beginning of a long-term vision to build a dedicated ecosystem for cultural entrepreneurship in India. Future initiatives will be anchored at The BRIJ, a new cultural district currently under development in Delhi, envisioned as a space for interdisciplinary learning, making, research, and incubation—strengthening the foundations of India’s creative economy for years to come.
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