WaveX, India’s national creative tech startup accelerator under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), and T-Hub, the world’s largest startup incubator, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish 10 innovation centers across the country, signaling a major push to transform India’s media technology landscape and create thousands of jobs in immersive technologies.​

The MoU between WaveX and T-Hub aims to strengthen India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) sector by providing startups with structured incubation, mentorship, access to funding, and world-class infrastructure. T-Hub will serve as the anchor institution for this nationwide expansion, leveraging its experience supporting more than 2,000 startups.​

The partnership comes as India’s AVGC-XR market races toward explosive growth. Currently valued at $3 billion, the sector could expand to $26 billion by 2030 at an annual growth rate of 25-30 percent, according to industry estimates aligned with government projections. The sector already employs 260,000 people nationwide and could generate 2.3 million jobs by 2032.​

Sanjay Jaju, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, emphasized that this collaboration represents a pivotal moment for India’s creative economy.

“India’s AVGC-XR sector is witnessing rapid growth and emerging as a major driver of the creative economy,” Jaju said at the signing ceremony. “WaveX has been conceptualized as a national accelerator platform to nurture startups and empower creators in media, entertainment, and immersive technology,”​ added Jaju.

Building a Nationwide Innovation Network

Under the WaveX-T-Hub partnership, the innovation centers will serve as comprehensive support hubs, offering coworking facilities, high-end production equipment, technical mentorship, legal and intellectual property support, and direct connections to investors. The centers aim to help young creators transition from individual freelancers to organized business entities capable of scaling globally.​

Sanjay Kumar, Special Chief Secretary of Telangana’s Information Technology department, highlighted the partnership’s transformative potential.

“This partnership will help create a nationwide ecosystem for creative entrepreneurship,” Kumar said. “It will support young creators in transitioning from individual participants to organized business units, enabling them to scale globally.”​

WaveX currently operates seven incubation centers at premier institutions, including the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies in Mumbai, the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication campuses in Delhi, Jammu, Dhenkanal, Kottayam, and Amravati. The expanded network will replicate these capabilities across more locations.​

Equipped for Global Competition

The flagship WaveX incubator at the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies in Mumbai showcases what startups can access. The facility features an 8K Red Raptor Vista Vision camera, a 4K HDR preview theater with Dolby Atmos, high-performance Alienware workstations, a state-of-the-art virtual production stage with LED walls, photogrammetry systems, professional sound and color-mix theaters, 4K HDR edit suites, VR testing kits, and the latest gaming consoles.​

T-Hub brings significant credibility to the partnership. Founded in 2015 as a public-private collaboration between the Telangana government and leading academic institutions, T-Hub has facilitated nearly $2 billion in startup funding and created 25,000 jobs. The incubator supports programs spanning defense innovation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and semiconductor development.​

The semiconductor program run by T-Hub in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission recently won the Best Conceived Cohort 2025 award, generating INR 40.29 crore in grants and INR 21.48 crore in investments, and achieving four successful chip tape-outs.​

India currently accounts for less than 1 percent of the global AVGC-XR market. Still, government officials and industry leaders believe the country can capture 5 percent of the $800 billion global market by 2025-2026. This would represent approximately $40 billion in market value and position India as a significant global creative technology hub.​

The government has designated AVGC-XR as a “sunrise sector” and established a national task force to promote the sector. Maharashtra recently approved an INR 3,268 crore investment plan for AVGC-XR parks across eight cities, designed to attract INR 50,000 crore in private investment over 25 years and create 200,000 jobs.​

WaveX operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s WAVES initiative, launched in May 2025 at a summit in Mumbai that brought together artists, innovators, investors, and policymakers from more than 100 countries. The WAVES Bazaar initiative alone recorded business transactions worth over Rs 1,328 crore during the three-day event.​

Mentorship and Market Access Drive Success

Beyond physical infrastructure, the WaveX-T-Hub collaboration emphasizes comprehensive support ecosystems. Startups receive structured mentorship from industry experts, masterclasses, bootcamps, policy guidance, investor networking sessions, and business advisory support.​

The partnership also provides strategic collaborations with Indian Institutes of Technology and other prominent incubators to broaden learning opportunities. Startups gain opportunities to collaborate with government media units, including Doordarshan, All India Radio, and the Press Information Bureau.​

International exposure represents another key benefit. WaveX participants access prestigious global startup events such as VivaTech in Paris and the Game Developers Conference in the United States.​

Industry experts note that India’s AVGC-XR sector has historically focused on service exports and outsourcing work for international studios. However, the new policy push emphasizes the creation of original Indian intellectual property—characters, stories, and franchises that can compete globally.​

With 940 million internet users, 450 million gamers, and a median age of 28, India offers a massive domestic market alongside export opportunities. The country has one of the world’s most affordable mobile data plans, helping to promote internet penetration even in rural areas.​

Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Rajasthan, and at least nine other states have introduced dedicated AVGC-XR policies with comprehensive incentives and infrastructure support. The government announced a $1 billion public-private fund to boost creators and enhance global competitiveness within the sector.​

The WaveX-T-Hub partnership positions both organizations at the forefront of India’s creative technology revolution. As the sector races toward 2030 targets, the collaboration aims to ensure that Indian startups receive the support, exposure, and investment needed to scale their businesses and compete on the global stage.

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