New Delhi [India], August 31 (ANI): WaveX, the startup accelerator program of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), has announced the launch of a dedicated Media Tech Startup Incubator aimed at nurturing high-potential ventures in the rapidly evolving media and entertainment space.

According to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, the incubator will provide a dedicated nurturing ecosystem for the startups in the AVGC-XR sector, which includes Audio, Visual, Comics, Gaming and Extended Reality. The initiative will provide structured mentorship, cutting-edge infrastructure, strategic advisory, and real-world testing opportunities through government media unit partnerships, helping startups scale and commercialise effectively.

The incubator will follow a two-phase model. In the Active Phase, startups will receive intensive support in areas like business modelling, product development, pitching, branding, fundraising, media regulations, and sandbox testing for sectors such as OTT, VFX, VR, gaming, animation, publishing, and post-production. The Passive Phase will focus on lighter mentorship, global showcases via Waves Bazaar, investor engagement, and building industry connections.

Startups will have access to co-working spaces, AV/digital labs, hosting servers, high-speed internet, and soon, AWS/Google Cloud credits and India AI compute services.

The program will include masterclasses by global experts from companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, as well as bootcamps, policy clinics, and investor connect sessions. The initiative will be governed by WAVEX with quarterly reviews under the Ministry of I&B's mentorship. A total of 15 startups will be selected for the first batch at the IICT campus, with a monthly fee of Rs 8,500 + GST. Applications are open until 7th September 2025.

WaveX is the dedicated startup accelerator platform under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting's WAVES initiative, aimed at nurturing innovations in media, entertainment, and language tech. At the WAVES Summit 2025 in Mumbai, over 30 startups pitched live to investors, government agencies, and tech leaders. WaveX continues to empower next-gen innovators through hackathons, mentorship, and national platform integration.

The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai, launched in July 2025 by the Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, is a pioneering institution dedicated to advancing India's AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality) sector. (ANI)