Sujata Goswami Is Building YOBO Collective Into a Cultural Home for Assam and the Northeast

It started, as a lot of real things do, on a phone call. On one end was Sujata Goswami, after years of navigating Mumbai’s corporate world across different roles, industries, and responsibilities. On the other was her sister, an illustrator and graphic designer. They were doing what they had always done - talking about art, design, music, storytelling, and the culture they had grown up inside. And they kept circling the same frustration: how scattered creative life can be, and how hard it is for artists from different disciplines to actually find each other. By the end of that conversation, the two of them had stopped describing a problem and started imagining a place. That place became YOBO Collective.

Nine years in Mumbai, and a pull she kept feeling

Goswami had built the kind of career that looks settled from the outside. Almost a decade in the corporate sector, the stability, the clear next rung. But she found herself pulled back, again and again, to creativity and community. Her sister had gone the other way, building a life as an illustrator and graphic designer. Two very different professional paths, one shared appetite. They had both grown up with a deep love for the arts, and neither had ever quite stopped paying attention to where that love could lead.

An idea born between two sisters

What they wanted was a space they wished had existed when they were finding their own creative footing. Not something boxed in by disciplines, labels, or the usual boundaries, but a place that made room for experimentation, collaboration, and independent expression. They registered their company in honour of the strongest women in their lives, and YOBO Collective became one of the first ventures to grow under it. For the sisters, that framing matters. YOBO is not a one-off project; it's the opening chapter of a longer journey, with more ideas meant to follow under the same roof.

The gap she kept noticing

There is no shortage of talent in Assam and the Northeast. What's missing, Goswami noticed, are the spaces where that talent can meet. Opportunities tend to arrive in fragments. Many creators end up working alone, or struggling to find any platform that rewards experiment and interdisciplinary work rather than penalising it. On top of that, the region's cultural heritage and its contemporary voices rarely get the visibility they've earned. YOBO was built to close both gaps at once: to be an inclusive community that nurtures independent creators while pushing them toward collaboration, learning, and genuine cultural exchange.

What YOBO Collective does

At its core, YOBO Collective is an interdisciplinary platform. It brings together artists, designers, musicians, writers, filmmakers, makers, and the kind of creative thinkers who don't fit neatly into any one of those words. The programming so far has taken the shape of workshops, exhibitions, pop-ups, community events, and collaborative projects, each built to encourage learning and cross-disciplinary exchange. The ambition from here is bigger: artist residencies, structured collaborations across mediums, and mentorship that supports emerging and established creatives alike. The through-line is a working ecosystem where independent artists can connect, learn, make, and show their work while staying close to the culture of Assam and the Northeast.

Bootstrapped, and built one step at a time

YOBO has been entirely self-funded from day one. The sisters believed in it enough to put their own resources behind it and build carefully, without waiting for anyone's permission or cheque. They haven't raised outside money or taken grants, and they're clear-eyed that this is a choice, not a limitation. As the platform grows, they plan to pursue grants and mission-aligned funding, but on their terms: partners who actually share the goal of nurturing creativity and strengthening the ecosystem in the region, not just capital for its own sake. It's a community-first approach, and the funding will have to fit that, rather than the other way around.

The hardest part was letting go of certain

Ask Goswami about the biggest challenge and she doesn't reach for a market or a competitor. It was the decision itself. Walking away from a stable career after nearly nine years meant leaving behind financial security, a defined path, and the comfort of a structured environment, all to chase something with no guarantees. Building YOBO has asked for patience and a real tolerance for uncertainty. What makes the trade worth it is knowing the thing she's building can hold other people up: a platform that supports artists, encourages collaboration, and adds something to the creative fabric of a region she loves.

Rooted in Assam and the Northeast

Place is not a backdrop for YOBO; it's the point. The Northeast's cultural diversity, its indigenous knowledge systems, its artistic traditions and ecological richness feed everything the collective does. Goswami is direct about why that matters. These stories and perspectives deserve to be treated as central to contemporary creative conversation, not filed away as a footnote. The goal is an ecosystem where local voices carry, where collaborations cross disciplines freely, and where artists from the region can reach national and global audiences without sanding down the authenticity of where they come from.

What comes next

The plan is to grow YOBO into a platform recognised well beyond the region while staying planted firmly within it. That means collaborating with established artists and cultural institutions, and curating the kind of programming that travels: immersive art experiences, exhibitions, film festivals, book launches, artist residencies, and multidisciplinary events that bring creators and audiences together from across India and, in time, further afield. Underneath the events sits a softer ambition. Goswami wants YOBO to be a place where people feel seen and connected, because she believes art can heal, start conversations, and pull a community closer.

You can follow the collective's workshops, exhibitions, and open calls on Instagram.

Her message to women who want to build something

Her advice is refreshingly free of gloss. Don't wait for the perfect moment or for everything to feel certain, because it rarely will. Trust your instincts, start with what you have, and let yourself grow on the way. She's honest that building your own thing takes courage and that doubt is part of the deal, not a sign you've gone wrong. Stay consistent and the hard parts start to read as the journey rather than obstacles in it. And then the line that lands hardest: don't be afraid to take up space, to ask for support, and to create opportunities for others as well as yourself. When women build, she says, they don't just start businesses. They build communities, open doors, and give the next generation permission to dream bigger.

Frequently asked questions about Sujata Goswami and YOBO Collective

Who is Sujata Goswami?

Sujata Goswami is the co-founder of YOBO Collective, an interdisciplinary creative platform rooted in Assam and India's Northeast. Before starting it with her sister, she spent nearly nine years in the corporate sector in Mumbai, working with firms including JP Morgan Chase.

What is YOBO Collective?

YOBO Collective is a creative community and interdisciplinary platform that brings together artists, designers, musicians, writers, filmmakers, and makers. It runs workshops, exhibitions, pop-ups, and collaborative projects, with plans for artist residencies and mentorship, all focused on the Northeast's creative talent.

Is YOBO Collective funded or bootstrapped?

YOBO Collective is entirely self-funded and bootstrapped by Sujata Goswami and her sister. It has not raised external funding or taken grants so far, though the founders plan to pursue grants and mission-aligned partnerships as the platform grows.

What can other founders learn from YOBO Collective?

YOBO's early story argues for starting with what you have rather than waiting for certainty, building community before chasing capital, and treating your roots as an advantage. Goswami's own leap, leaving a secure nine-year career for an unproven idea, is a case study in backing conviction over comfort.