New Delhi – WaveX, a startup accelerator platform under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s WAVES initiative, on Wednesday announced the launch of seven new incubation centres across India to support startups in the media, entertainment, and AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality) sectors.
The new facilities will be located at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) campuses in Delhi, Jammu, Dhenkanal, Kottayam and Amravati, as well as at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in Kolkata. They add to the existing flagship centre at the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) in Mumbai.
WaveX said the centres would provide startups with infrastructure for film production, game development, editing and testing. Facilities at the IICT incubator in Mumbai include an 8K Red Raptor Vista Vision camera, a 4K HDR preview theatre with Dolby Atmos, high-performance workstations, a virtual production stage with LED walls, photogrammetry systems, professional sound and colour-mix theatres, edit suites, VR testing kits and gaming consoles.
The programme aims to allow startups to design and validate projects at international standards, the statement said. Companies under the WaveX umbrella will also be able to access global networking opportunities, including participation in international events such as VivaTech in Paris and the Game Developers Conference in the United States.
According to the ministry, selected startups will receive access to co-working spaces, digital labs and studios, as well as high-speed internet, cloud computing credits and India AI compute services. They will also be offered sandbox testing opportunities across OTT platforms, VFX, VR, gaming, animation, publishing and post-production.
Structured mentorship will be provided through industry experts and global advisors. Additional support will include policy clinics, investor engagement sessions, and masterclasses. Partnerships are being developed with IITs, T-Hub and other incubators to extend learning and innovation opportunities.
Startups will also be given opportunities to collaborate with media units under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including Doordarshan, All India Radio, FTII, the Press Information Bureau and others. The ministry said selected ventures could also be prioritised for projects outsourced by these organisations.
Applications for the first cohort are now open. WaveX said that 15 startups will be chosen at each location for the initial batch, with a monthly fee of Rs. 8,500 plus GST. Preference will be given to companies working in the media, entertainment and AVGC-XR domains.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting under secretary Sanjay Jaju, a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Telangana cadre, has been pushing the agenda of using technology for governance, innovation, startup partnerships and creative sectors, signalling ministry commitment to modernising policy frameworks and supporting the growth of AVGC, XR and media-technology ecosystems.
WaveX was established to support early-stage startups in creative technologies. The incubation model is divided into two phases, beginning with intensive mentoring in business modelling, product development, branding, fundraising and media regulations, followed by lighter guidance and global showcasing opportunities.
The ministry said WaveX was designed to provide support for ventures at a stage where products in gaming and immersive technologies are often still under development.
