St+art India

What St+art India does

St+art India Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in Delhi, India, that develops public art districts and street art festivals across more than 25 Indian cities. Its core offerings are six officially designated public art districts—Lodhi (Delhi), Maqtha (Hyderabad), Mahim (E) (Mumbai), Panjim (Goa), Kannagi (Chennai), and Ukkadam (Coimbatore)—alongside annual street art festivals and temporary installations such as Daku's "WHY" installation using 300,000 recycled plastic bottles and Filthy Luker's inflatable octopus at Jindal Mansion. The foundation curates both Indian and international artists, executes murals at scale, and runs community engagement programs including workshops, photo camps, and hand-painted typography projects, with operations supported by 15+ core staff.

The organization's technology stack is non-digital: it coordinates physical mural production, negotiates wall-space access with municipal and Smart City authorities, and manages artist logistics across multiple cities. Its primary "platform" is a network of government bodies (Greater Chennai Corporation, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Smart City SPVs across Coimbatore/Chennai/Thanjavur), corporate sponsors (Asian Paints as Vision Partner since 2014, JSW Foundation, Adidas), and cultural institutes (Goethe, Polish Institute, Italian Cultural Institute, among others). Resident populations in its art districts range from neighborhood-scale to ~94,000 people in Kannagi Nagar.

St+art does not sell products or services and operates purely on a partnership and grant-funded model. Revenue streams are not-for-profit in nature, derived from corporate partnerships, government collaborations (often in-kind via permissions and Smart City integration), cultural institution partnerships, and individual patrons coordinated through the MUAF (Mumbai Urban Arts Foundation) umbrella. Marketing is organic and earned-media driven, relying on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and a website currently under maintenance. The foundation's long-term credibility is anchored to its first-mover status as India's only systematized public art district operator at scale.

Name

St+art India

Legal name

St+art India Foundation

Website

https://st-artindia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St+art India Foundation is a Delhi-based not-for-profit founded in 2014 that creates public art districts and street art festivals across 25+ Indian cities. It works with government bodies, corporate sponsors led by Asian Paints, and Indian and international artists to transform urban neighborhoods into open-air galleries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Art & Cultural Curation Services

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

Keywords

• Public art curation
• Street art festivals
• Urban art districts
• Mural installations
• Community art programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Partnerships: Major corporate sponsors like Asian Paints provide material resources, funding, and support for art projects. Asian Paints has been a key Vision Partner since St+art Mumbai 2014, providing paint materials and financial support.
2. Government Collaborations: Partnerships with government bodies including Municipal Corporations, Smart City programs, and various ministries that enable public art projects in urban spaces.
3. Cultural Institution Partnerships: Collaborations with cultural institutes, embassies, and NGOs that contribute resources, expertise, and international artist networks to projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St+art India Foundation creates public art districts in Indian cities by commissioning murals and large-scale installations, organizing street art festivals, and running community-driven urban regeneration programs. The foundation acts as a curator and project coordinator, partnering with corporate sponsors (notably Asian Paints) and government bodies to transform urban spaces into accessible cultural destinations.

Product overview

St+art India Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that operates as a platform for public art and urban transformation. The organization's core offerings include street art festivals across multiple Indian cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Goa, Chennai, Coimbatore), and the creation and maintenance of public art districts. Their flagship products are six established public art districts: Lodhi Art District (India's first), Maqtha Art District (Hyderabad), Mahim (E) Art District (Mumbai), Panjim Art District (Goa), Kannagi Art District (Chennai), and Ukkadam Art District (Coimbatore). Additionally, they produce temporary art installations including the 'WHY' installation by Daku, The Travelling Photo Studio, and various festival-specific projects. The organization also offers community engagement services including artist-led workshops, curated tours, and educational programs. Their work integrates vernacular Indian art traditions with contemporary urban art, creating both permanent murals and temporary installations across public spaces in over 25 Indian cities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Art Districts Development of curated public art districts in Indian cities, featuring murals and large-scale installations commissioned by the foundation in partnership with artists, corporate sponsors (notably Asian Paints), and government bodies. The districts serve as accessible cultural destinations that combine urban regeneration with community engagement.
• Street Art Festivals On-site street art festivals and cultural events organized by the foundation, bringing together artists, corporate sponsors, government partners, and local communities to celebrate and create public art in Indian cities.
• Mural Commissions and Large-Scale Installations Commissioning and project management of murals and large-scale public art installations delivered in partnership with artists and institutional sponsors. These are produced as part of the foundation's public art districts and festival programming.
• Community Urban Regeneration Programs Community-driven cultural and urban regeneration programs developed in collaboration with government bodies and corporate partners, aimed at engaging local communities in public art and urban transformation initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transformed 6 neighborhoods into recognized public art districts visited by thousands
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Asian PaintsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsian Paints has been St+art's biggest pillar of support since St+art Mumbai 2014. As one of the world's largest paint companies, their involvement extends beyond material resources to being an active patron of the arts. They share St+art's philosophy of #ArtForAll and embedding art in public spaces, providing paint materials, funding, and long-term strategic support.
• Ministry of Urban DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry enabling public art projects through policy support and administrative coordination for urban art interventions.
• Swachh BharatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment cleanliness mission program that has collaborated with St+art on public art projects to beautify urban spaces.
• Delhi Municipal CorporationcoreOthersLocal government body in Delhi enabling public art installations through permissions and space access.
• Delhi Metro Rail CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment corporation that partnered with St+art for the Art Stations project, bringing murals to metro stations in Bangalore and Delhi.
• Brihanmumbai Municipal CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal corporation of Mumbai that enabled St+art Mumbai 2014 and subsequent projects including installations at Jindal Mansion and the Churchgate Gandhi mural.
• Namma MetrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBangalore Metro Rail Corporation that partnered with St+art for Art Stations project at metro stations.
• Govt of TelanganacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government of Telangana that commissioned projects including Daku's 'WHY' installation at Hussain Sagar Lake.
• Greater Chennai CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal corporation that partnered with St+art for Kannagi Art District, Tamil Nadu's first public art district.
• Chennai Smart City LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart City program implementing partner that collaborated on Kannagi Art District development.
• Coimbatore Smart City LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart City program implementing partner for Kovai Art Trail and Ukkadam Art District.
• Aravani Art ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt collective based in Bangalore working on creating safe spaces for the transgender community through public art interventions. Has collaborated on multiple projects including Kolkata and Chennai art districts.
• Urban Design CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collective that partnered on community engagement projects including the Kannagi Postcard Project and Redrawing Kannagi Nagar.
• Chennai Photo BiennalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotography arts organization that conducted the Kannagi Photo Camp documenting the community through photography workshops.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Open Walls Baltimore: Baltimore mural festival and public-art initiative producing curated street art across the city. Closely comparable festival-to-permanent-district model.
• MURAL Festival: Montreal-based annual street art festival that commissions large-scale murals across the city. Comparable festival-driven, multi-artist public-art production model with corporate and municipal partnerships.
• Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art: Berlin-based foundation dedicated to street and urban contemporary art, including outdoor facade projects. Comparable foundation-led public-art programming with international artist network.
• The L.I.S.A. Project NYC: Manhattan-based nonprofit that commissions large-scale public art on building facades. Comparable municipal-permission-driven public art curation model.
• JustKids: Creative agency producing curated public-art programs, including murals and installations, for brands and cities. Comparable commissioned-mural and festival production model with similar brand-partnership mix.
• Living Walls Conference: Atlanta-based nonprofit producing public art programming and mural festivals with strong artist-residency and community-engagement components. Directly comparable nonprofit structure and mission.
• POW! WOW! Worldwide: US-originated street art festival organisation that produces annual mural festivals in multiple cities. Closest comparable by operating model — festival-driven, government and brand partnerships, multi-city public art programming.
• 100 Walls Tel Aviv: Israeli public-art initiative producing 100+ murals in Tel Aviv through international artist collaborations. Comparable urban-regeneration mission with international artist exchange.

Regional players

• Kochi-Muziris Biennale: India's largest contemporary art biennale, also nonprofit and festival-led. Adjacent Indian public-art ecosystem player; less direct overlap but competes for the same sponsor and government attention.

Broad incumbents

• Serendipity Arts Festival: Large-scale Indian multidisciplinary arts festival and existing St+art festival partner. Broader scope (visual + performing arts) but comparable scale, corporate sponsorship model, and audience-development mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpEHZpPCZN2yeNTXlH41Cyw
• Facebookfacebook.com/startindiafoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/startindia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St+art India