Every breakthrough starts with a dream, but turning that dream into reality isn’t always easy. Many young creators lack access to mentors, the right tools, or a platform to showcase ideas. That was the gap HP set out to bridge with Dreams Unlocked, a nationwide initiative designed to help India’s youth turn bold ideas into real-world impact.
Rather than simply promoting its latest AI-powered PCs, HP placed young talent at the centre of the campaign. We recently connected with the team to understand the thinking behind the programme and how the first edition unfolded.
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Building a Space for Ideas to Grow
At its heart, Dreams Unlocked encouraged young people to explore creativity, innovation, and problem-solving across multiple fields. Whether someone wanted to build a business, create a short film, design a game, shape cultural narratives, or address social challenges, the platform aimed to support their journey through guidance and meaningful exposure.
The initiative did more than just spotlight ideas. It was structured to offer mentorship sessions with respected leaders from various industries, alongside access to modern technology that helped participants strengthen and refine their concepts. According to HP, the objective was to “inspire and enable young people to become creators, innovators, and leaders in the age of AI,” placing skill development at the core of the programme.
Why This Matters in Today’s Creative Economy
With AI and digital tools evolving rapidly, workplaces and creative industries are undergoing rapid shifts. HP noted that while young innovators often have the passion to build, many lack the direction or confidence needed to turn raw ideas into implementable solutions. Dreams Unlocked was positioned as a way to close that gap by offering mentorship, tools, and a strong foundation for skill development.
The company believes that India’s youth are ready to lead; they need access to the right resources. By combining guidance with hands-on exposure, the initiative aimed to help young people grow not just as creators but as contributors to India’s cultural, social, and economic progress. With AI poised to reshape multiple industries, empowering young people to work confidently with technology felt both timely and essential.
A Mentor Isn’t Just a Judge
One of the biggest highlights of Dreams Unlocked was the opportunity for participants to engage with leading voices across entertainment, technology, social impact, and business. These individuals brought years of experience and understood what it meant to build something from the ground up.
The mentor roster featured actor Ayushmann Khurrana, musician Ankur Tewari, Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, design innovator Aaquib Wani, creator Niharika NM, esports pioneer Animesh Agarwal, and actor Sahiba Bali, alongside HP India’s Managing Director Ipsita Dasgupta. Their collective expertise helped participants refine their ideas with a more practical and impactful lens.
According to the team, the goal was not just to offer industry commentary but to encourage genuine interactions that could help shape stronger, more confident creators. “The platform is about turning creativity into opportunity,” they shared, noting that mentorship was always meant to be a core element of the experience.
Where Technology Meets Imagination
While mentorship formed the emotional backbone of the programme, technology offered a strong practical foundation. Shortlisted creators received access to HP’s OmniBook AI PCs, which gave them the freedom to create across mediums, whether that involved editing films, designing apps, prototyping business solutions, or producing music.
Rather than positioning AI as a replacement for creativity, Dreams Unlocked highlighted how it could act as a collaborative partner. HP believes that democratising access to powerful PCs allows more young individuals to transform their concepts into tangible projects, helping them build with purpose and clarity.
In many ways, the initiative was as much about empowering creators through technology as it was about helping them find their voice.
The Journey: From Submission to Impact
The programme followed a straightforward path. Participants submitted original ideas through the online portal or via Instagram. The top 40 shortlisted entrants then had the opportunity to present their concepts to a panel of industry experts. From there, winners across eight categories were selected to receive dedicated 1:1 mentorship, along with access to tools and guidance to further strengthen their projects and work toward meaningful real-world impact.
HP emphasised that Dreams Unlocked wasn’t purely about selecting the “best” ideas. Instead, the intention was to give promising young talent the confidence and support needed to grow. The company also indicated that this would not be a one-off initiative. “Dreams Unlocked will continue to expand — nurturing ideas, unlocking opportunities, and building a vibrant creative community,” the team noted, suggesting that the mentorship and access model would continue reaching more creators across India.
Ideas That Made an Impression
The first wave of winners offered a fascinating snapshot of the diversity driving India’s creative spirit. Their work spanned healthcare, crafts, cinema, gaming, social impact, and emerging technology.
One notable project, Medshare, explored ways to give unused pills a second life by helping them reach people who need them. Another, developed under the cinema category, introduced an instant AI-based short-film editing tool meant to simplify the filmmaking process. In the music space, a young creator imagined a global co-creation platform to help artists collaborate across borders.
In design, Kala Klub re-envisioned traditional Indian crafts as collectable objects, preserving cultural history while making it relevant in a modern context. For gaming, an AI-powered broadcast system opened new possibilities for streamers and esports tournaments of all scales.
Meanwhile, a poetry-driven content initiative focused on reviving literature through digital performance, and a social-impact project called Bharatwork helped connect workers to employment opportunities nationwide. In tech, Genova-AI stood out for its attempt to predict the real-time impact of genetic mutations on human health.
Collectively, these concepts underscore how deeply young Indians are thinking about change, from public health and culture to entertainment and science. Their stories pointed to the beginning of something far bigger.
The Road Ahead
For HP, Dreams Unlocked marked just the starting point. With India’s creative and digital economy gaining momentum, the company sees ongoing value in building an ecosystem where young talent can continue exploring and growing. As more dreamers join the platform, HP hopes to deepen its mentorship network and broaden access to its AI-driven tools, creating an even larger space for collaboration.
With one of the youngest populations in the world, India is full of bright, curious minds eager to shape the future. Programmes like Dreams Unlocked give them a meaningful pathway — not just to showcase ideas, but to nurture them. With the right support, these dreams could transform industries and communities alike. That, perhaps, is the most exciting part of all.
