Nazara-Backed Incubator LVL Zero Unveils First Cohort of 10 Gaming Startups

LVL Zero Announces Inaugural Cohort of 10 Startups in Gaming Incubator

On April 6, LVL Zero, a gaming incubator backed by prominent investors Nazara Technologies, MIXI Global Investments, and ChimeraVC, announced the selection of 10 startups for its inaugural cohort. This milestone marks a significant step forward in the incubator's mission to support emerging gaming talent in India.

The selected startups, chosen from over 240 applications, represent a diverse range of genres, formats, and development stages. Notably, eight out of the ten selected startups are building for PC and console platforms, signaling a shift towards premium, high-production-value experiences. This trend reflects the growing demand for high-quality gaming content on these platforms.

Selected Startups

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The 10 startups selected for LVL Zero's inaugural cohort are:

These startups range from solo developers to small studios of up to five members, with one product already in the market, two in beta or soft launch, five in alpha with playable builds or demos, and two in early-stage or prototype development.

LVL Zero's Incubation Programme

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LVL Zero was first introduced in November 2025, with the aim of supporting over 100 startups over the next five years. Each selected startup will receive an equity-free grant of $10,000, along with access to LVL Zero's structured 100-day incubation programme. The incubator will also provide access to mentorship from over 28 global industry experts, and publisher access across PC, console, and mobile ecosystems, along with support for global playtesting.

"LVL Zero was built to address a structural gap in the ecosystem where access to capital, distribution, knowledge, and talent existed, but lacked integration," said Krish Anurag, Managing Partner at Chimera VC. "Our focus over the next 100 days is to help them sharpen that edge through structured execution, rapid learning cycles, and access to the right networks, so they can scale from promising prototypes to globally competitive products.”

Tomoharu Urabe, Managing Director of Investments at MIXI Global Investments, added that this cohort "represents a new generation of Indian founders who are ready to think and build beyond geographical boundaries." He also noted that the diversity of ideas and the growing emphasis on game design, storytelling, and global relevance are particularly encouraging.

The success of LVL Zero's inaugural cohort marks a significant milestone in the gaming industry, highlighting the growing potential of Indian developers to create high-quality, globally competitive games.