CultureCon 2026
24 Mentors /
72 Mentees
47 Speakers
591 Attendees
18 Sessions
.png)
6-7 Aug 2026
The gathering for India’s creative economy. Built for the ambitious, the curious, and the slightly unsettled.
NCPA Mumbai
Highlights
Sessions
TICKETS LIVE!
Mentorship Lab
Choose the Mentorship Lab add-on and book up to two slots
Highlights of CultureCon 2026
Everyone in the room was not just participating in culture — they are building the systems, spaces and businesses around it.
.jpg)
The Mentorship Lab
When Himanshu Vaswani said, "Be your biggest critic."
When Roshan Abbas debated an AI model on AI, creativity, and who India's creative economy actually belongs to.
.png)
Roshan Abbas' Don't Worry, Ho Jaayega and B Spot Productions' Rang Birangi Lavani performances.
When Tara Khandelwal said, "Communities can be built on shared interests, but you need a shared cause to create something that stands the test of time."
CultureCon 2026 at a Glance
CultureCon is where India’s creative industry gets organised. Every year, we bring together working artists, designers, writers, filmmakers, and creative entrepreneurs to share what’s actually working – how to find clients, build studios, price their skills, tell their story, and stay in the game for the long run.
Here India’s creative leaders, hustlers, and builders come to connect, grow, and scale their impact.
CultureCon is where artists, thinkers, and entrepreneurs shape careers, spark collaborations, and reimagine the creative economy. Think culture meets capital, art meets opportunity— one stage for the future of creative work.
Our Speakers
Our Speakers
Aliya Elariss
Public Diplomacy & Communications Manager
.png)
Ruchira Das
Director Arts India
British Council
.png)
Rafael Pereira
Managing Partner Tinnuts
.png)
Natasha Sharma
Lead, Public Arts and Design,
Co-curator Govandi Arts Festival
.png)
Amruta Nemivant
Senior Manager Gallery & Cultural Programmes Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai
.png)
DR. Marguerite Rumpf
Senior Consultant - Education and Discourse Goethe-Institut
.png)
Amit Gurbaxani
Journalist
.png)
Raghav Meattle
Founder, first.wav
.png)
Sitara Chowfla
Co-Founder Goa Open Arts Festival
.png)
Roshan Abbas
CEO / Founder Kommune
.png)
Bruce Guthrie
Head of Theatre and Films National Centre for the Performing Arts
.png)
Meghana Bhogle
Head - IPs & Touring Paytm Insider
.png)
Tej Brar
Head - Festivals Nodwin Gaming
.png)
Kanchana K.V.
CEO Network of Indian Cultural Enterprises
.png)
Arjun S Ravi
Writer & Director of ‘Standing By’
.png)
Divya Bhatia
Artistic Consultant / Festival Director Independent /Jodhpur RIFF
.png)
Dipti Rao
DGM - Auditorium Operations Prestige Centre for Performing Arts
.png)
Mae Mariyam Thomas
Founder / CEO Maed in India
.png)
Siddhant Shah
Access & DEI Consultant Access For ALL
.png)
Nikhil Udupa
Director 4/4 Experiences Pvt Ltd
.png)
Shoven Shah
Founder & CEO TribeVibe Entertainment
.png)
Vijay Subramaniam
Founder & Group CEO Collective Artists Network
.png)
Mandovi Menon
Co-Founder, Creative Director (Strategy & Storytelling) Egodeath
.png)
Dhruv Chitgopekar
Co-Founder Collective Artists Network
.png)
Ria Chopra
Editor Stumble
.png)
Girish 'Bobby' Talwar
Founder Rebellion Management & Entertainment
.png)
Guneet Monga Kapoor
Academy Award-Winning Producer & CEO Sikhya Entertainment
.png)
Varun Kashyap
Strategy, Partnerships and Culture Kommune & Stumble
.png)
Tusharr Kumar
COO Only Much Louder
.png)
What made CultureCon 2026 different?
Curation
Panels, Keynotes, Pecha Kucha and sessions tackled the questions shaping culture and creative work.
Mentorship Lab
Seasoned industry professionals met creative career aspirants in focused one-on-one and provided guidance and actionable advice.
The mixers facilitated actual encounters with people working across the creative economy. A space to build connections and find collaborators.
Networking Mixer
Masterclasses got into the mechanics of creative work — pricing, management, investment, legalities, audiences, sustainability and more.
Masterclasses
A cl
Workshop
A closed-door workshop on CSR & Philanthropy which raised questions on how to invest in culture and how sustained investment supports growth.
Performances
Two brilliant performances by mavericks in their fields. Roshan Abba
Two brilliant performances by mavericks in their fields. Roshan Abbas' raw, humourous and real,
Don't Worry, Ho Jaayega followed by the awe-inducing, sensual and queer, Rang Birangi Lavani.
Our
Speakers & Mentors
meet our Sponsors & Partners
.jpg)
.jpg)
In collaboration with
.png)
Thank you to our Sponsors
& Partners
Sponsors
Partners
.jpg)
When Code meets Culture:
AI, art and our futures
Shreyas Srinivasan, Padmini Ray Murray, Tejas Nair & Mark Dakin.
In Partnership with Goethe-Institut Mumbai
Building the Sa-Re-Ga of creative skilling and management
Antara Ashra, Anushka 'Nush' Lewis, Saatvika Kaantamneni, Tanvi Jindal, Ruchira Das & Joyoti Roy in conversation with Dipti Rao
Selling Your Creative Work Globally
In Partnership with Australian Consulate General Mumbai
Andy Beecroft, Jiten Thukral - Sumer Tagra & Papa CJ in conversation with Meghana Bhogle
CSR, Philanthropy & the Arts: From Cheque to Change
Your Creative Work Globally
Asad Lalljee, Bidisha Dey & Ritika Gandhi in conversation with Rashmi Dhanwani
Speakers of CultureCon Pune Pop-up 2025
The Business of Creativity
Panel with Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar, Guneet Monga Kapoor, Roshan Abbas,Vijay Subramaniam, Rashmi Dhanwani
Building Festivasl & IPs
PechaKucha with Sitara Chowfla, Natasha Sharma, Divya Bhatia, Meghana Bhogle, Shoven Shah, Amit Gurbaxani
My Career in the Creative Industry
Lightning Talks with Divya Bhatia, Raghav Meattle, Mae Mariyam Thomas, Dr Marguierite Rumpf, Dipti Rao
Leadership in Arts & Culture
Masterclass led by Ruchira Das, DirectorArts India, British Council
Directions in Creator Economy
Fireside Chats with Arjun Ravi, Mandovi Menon, Dhruv Chitgopekar, Ria Chopra
Moderated by Varun Kashyap
Building Your Creative Business
Masterclass led by Kanchana K.V., CEO - Network of Indian Cultural Enterprises
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
About Us
CultureCon is powered by creative sector consulting firm Art X Company and Festivals From India – India's only platform for art and culture festivals.
Conference Partners
