Podcast: Episode 83: Vinitha Watson: Zoo Labs & BIPOC People in the Arts

April 9, 2022

On this episode, Laura interviews Depth Hypnosis Practitioner and Zoo Labs Co-founder, Vinitha Watson. The success of Zoo Labs is in no small part to Vinitha and her husband, David Watson, whose vision to build startup entrepreneurship infrastructure for BIPOC artists began in 2013. To date, the Zoo has run 26 residencies, and created a strong and vibrant community of over 250 artists and 350 mentors. Recently, they have moved to directly funding artists with grants and providing high-quality video education and mentorship. Vinitha has had an impressive and varied career with a common theme of helping others. In this conversation, Vinitha shares about her early years studying Indian classical dance and carnatic music, her interest in the arts and helping empower BIPOC communities, as well as her interest in wellness from Ayurveda to Depth Hypnosis.

In addition to being a certified Depth Hypnosis Practitioner and the Co-founder of Zoo Labs, Vinitha opened Google’s first satellite office in India. She went on to start her own textile design company, then joined the experimental first class of the Design Strategy MBA at California College of the Arts in 2008. Vinitha also consults on innovation strategy and growth planning for nonprofits, pioneered a wellness initiative at Johns Hopkins Medical Residency, which introduced wellness tools to medical doctors, and has since influenced other medical residency programs nationwide. She sat on the boards of Nexleaf Analytics and California College of the Arts. To learn more about Vinitha and Zoo Labs, visit zoolabs.org.

Our featured music on this episode is a project straight from Zoo Labs. The Futurelics are Afro-Indiginous musical mystics who honor funk, blues, house, jazz, Afro-Cuban music and Afro-Dominican Palo. Learn more at planetfuturelic.com.