Dentsu has announced the launch of Dentsu Lab in India.

The Lab was officially launched in Mumbai on 15 July 2025. With this, India joins a growing constellation of Dentsu Labs in Tokyo, London, and Warsaw.

Leading this charge in India is Gurbaksh Singh, chief creative officer and chief innovation officer - South Asia, dentsu.

Singh will drive the Lab’s innovation agenda across sectors by working closely with clients, startups, and partners to create solutions that are rooted in empathy and engineered for growth.

The move further strengthens dentsu’s commitment to building innovation hubs where creativity meets code, and where bold ideas are designed to scale.

Founded in 2014 by dentsu’s global chief creative officer, Yasuharu Sasaki, Dentsu Lab has consistently intended to redefine what innovation can achieve.

Dentsu Lab’s launch in India is positioned at the intersection of business, tech, and culture. The Lab recognises India as a global engine of ideas and a strategic partner for clients, shaping the future.

To celebrate the launch, the Lab unveiled prototypes reflecting its ethos of experimentation and relevance. From Tokyo: Tokonoma, an AI-music installation inspired by Japanese pottery, and Unlabeled, a fashion-tech piece that uses anti-surveillance camouflage. From India: Garuda Rakshak, a drone-based public safety solution; Motorola Deep Connect, an emotionally intelligent connectivity tool; and the globally awarded Unfiltered History Tour, an AR-powered retelling of colonial history.

Dentsu Lab provides a creative R&D service across touchpoints - events, sports, gaming, retail, AI, IoT, immersive tech, and rapid prototyping. With dedicated spaces in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Gurugram, the Lab is designed as a hands-on platform where clients can co-create with designers, technologists, and cultural thinkers.

Sasaki said, “Innovation, at its best, is not driven by speed or scale alone, but by purpose. In a world where technology is accelerating rapidly, we must not forget that true progress begins with understanding people. We believe every idea must begin with empathy because when we place human needs at the centre, we create solutions that are not only intelligent but deeply meaningful. India holds a special strength - a harmony of emotional insight, cultural richness, and technical excellence. With Dentsu Lab in India, we are bringing this strength into our global network. Together, we will create innovation that is grounded in humanity and designed to serve both business and society with lasting impact.”

Amit Wadhwa, CEO, Dentsu Creative and media brands, South Asia, dentsu and Narayan Devanathan, president and chief strategy officer, dentsu South Asia, jointly added, “Throughout history, India has stood at the crossroads of imagination and invention. From ancient knowledge systems to modern engineering marvels, India brings something truly special to the Lab - the ability to blend logic with intuition, tech with touch, data with empathy. Our culture teaches us to see the world not just as it is, but as it could be. With brilliant engineers, thoughtful designers, academics, and storytellers around us, we believe Dentsu Lab in India will be a crucible of possibility; a world where ideas come to life with purpose and humility. It is our promise to our clients and partners that here in India, innovation will not only be efficient, but empathetic. Not only intelligent, but inclusive. And through the Lab, we will build solutions that uplift industries, inspire people, and improve the world around us."

Singh said, “We are not here to theorise about innovation. We are here to build it - fast, bold, and with intent. At Dentsu Lab in India, every challenge is a live brief, and every prototype a shot at solving something real. We draw from India’s first-mover mindset and a strong foundation in creative R&D to engineer ideas rooted in human connection and cultural relevance. From drones for public safety to emotional tech that bridges remote gaps, to wearables that push back against machine bias - everything we create exists to make a measurable difference. This Lab gives our ideas the tools, the talent, and the freedom to grow. We keep it simple, but we don’t think small. Our strength lies in blending creative ingenuity with emerging technology to deliver outcomes that create meaningful change, not eventually, but now.”