Indian Gaming Incubator LVL Zero Opens First Cohort Applications

LVL Zero, the Indian gaming incubator backed by Nazara Technologies, MIXI Global Investments, and Chimera VC, will open applications for its first cohort on Jan 26, 2026, coinciding with India’s Republic Day, exclusively for Indian gaming companies. The program will remain open until Feb 26, with an aim to create “an India-born, globally-ready gaming company,” according to an announcement released on January 22.

LVL Zero will select 10 startups for its inaugural cohort, offering each company an equity-free grant of $10K USD, with a total capital pool of $100K. The initiative is positioned as an execution-first alternative to traditional accelerators, emphasizing speed, discipline, and commercialization.

At the time of its inauguration, LVL Zero was positioned to accelerate Indian gaming firms from prototype to publisher and investor readiness in less than 100 days. Krish Anurag, managing partner at Chimera VC and a founding partner at LVL Zero, described the launch as a structural intervention for early-stage founders.

“The launch of our first cohort is a defining moment because it finally gives early-stage Indian gaming founders a space built specifically for the challenges they face and the support they need to scale intelligently,” Anurag said, adding that the program is designed to help studios think about production, monetization, and live operations “from day one.”

LVL Zero has reported its intention to facilitate more than ten distinguished mentors from the Indian and global “gaming ecosystem to provide hands-on guidance, sharpen strategies, and navigate go-to-market ideas.”

LVL Zero’s 100-Day Incubation Program and Demo Day Structure

LVL Zero is structured as a 100-day incubation program designed to compress years of startup development into a focused execution path with a three-phase structure. It starts with the Ignition phase (Days 1-15), where every selected company focuses on foundational alignment, including company vision, team structure, and clearly defined objectives and key results (OKRs).

This is followed by the Core Build phase (Days 16-70), where teams concentrate on product development, testing, and validation through community feedback, along with simulations and quality assurance cycles, designed to “push them toward early launches.”

The final stage, Orbit Ready phase (Days 71-100), shifts attention to the go-to-market strategy. During these last days of the program, companies plan business modelling, develop narrative, and refine pitches, to make their product “ready for publishers, partners, and investors.”

The incubation program leads to the most important part of the cohort, Demo Day, where “founders showcase their startups to India’s leading VCs, angel investors, publishers, and industry partners.” Companies present five-minute pitches with live Q&A sessions “with the jury and investors.”

At the end, selected founders will receive the $10K grants each, along with an already-tested playable product with “validated core metrics, a refined GTM strategy, and a complete data room and pitch deck.” LVL Zero’s 100-Day program will also offer post-incubation support and access to mentorship, even after the culmination of the cohort.

The announcement comes as India’s gaming sector continues to expand but struggles to convert early momentum into globally sustainable studios. Nazara Technologies Joint Managing Director and CEO, Nitish Mittersain, said the incubator responds to a persistent execution gap in India’s gaming ecosystem.

“India has no shortage of gaming talent, but the journey from a strong prototype to a scalable, globally viable business is still fragmented,” Mittersain said, noting that LVL Zero is designed to expose founders to proven global operating models.

MIXI Global Investments’ Managing Director of Investments, Tomoharu Urabe, framed the initiative as ecosystem infrastructure rather than short-term acceleration. “By combining equity-free support with a structured 100-day execution model, the program provides a clear and practical framework for early-stage gaming companies in India,” he said, adding that it strengthens links between Indian studios and global markets.

With plans to support more than 100 startups over the next five years, LVL Zero is positioning itself as a long-term platform for building globally competitive Indian gaming companies. Along with the press release, LVL Zero has urged interested startups to apply by Feb 26, 2026, on their official website.