**Executive Summary**
On March 26, 2026, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with KRAFTON India Pvt. Ltd. to strengthen India’s startup and innovation ecosystem. The partnership aims to provide mentorship, market access, and technical support to startups in sectors such as digital entertainment, gaming, and artificial intelligence. Key action items include the organization of innovation challenges under the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge and targeted hackathons.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Objectives and Target Sectors**
* Fosters growth for product startups in digital entertainment, online gaming, esports, interactive media, and AI-driven technologies.
* Enables the development of scalable, industry-relevant solutions through structured industry engagement.
* Strengthens India’s digital and creative economy by helping startups build globally competitive solutions.
* **Support and Mentorship Provisions**
* Provides startups with access to mentorship, industry insights, and knowledge exchange platforms.
* Facilitates key milestones including Proof-of-Concept (PoC) development and market access.
* Offers integration opportunities into existing industry ecosystems where feasible.
* **Planned Initiatives and Outreach**
* Execution of innovation challenges via the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge.
* Implementation of targeted hackathons, workshops, and masterclasses in domains like game design, animation, and esports management.
* Provision of exposure to global best practices and potential pilot collaborations for selected startups.
* Utilization of Startup India programmes to enhance ecosystem-building and outreach efforts.
**Impact Analysis**
**Startups and Entrepreneurs**
**Impact:**
Startups gain critical resources for scaling, including technical mentorship, global exposure, and opportunities for pilot collaborations with an industry leader.
**Action Required:**
Eligible startups should engage with upcoming Startup India programmes, hackathons, and innovation challenges to secure mentorship and PoC development support.
**DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade)**
**Impact:**
The department expands its capacity to support emerging technology domains and strengthens the national innovation landscape through private-sector partnership.
**Action Required:**
Work alongside KRAFTON India to organize and oversee the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge and related educational workshops.
**KRAFTON India Pvt. Ltd.**
**Impact:**
The company acts as a primary industry collaborator, facilitating the integration of new innovators into the digital and entertainment ecosystem.
**Action Required:**
Provide industry expertise, host masterclasses, and explore potential business integrations or pilot projects with selected high-performing startups.
Key Entities Referenced
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT): The primary government department responsible for signing the MoU to foster India’s startup and innovation ecosystem in digital entertainment and AI.
KRAFTON India Pvt. Ltd.: The digital entertainment company partnering with DPIIT to provide mentorship, industry insights, and innovation challenges for startups.
Bharat Startup Grand Challenge: A specific initiative under which innovation challenges, hackathons, and masterclasses will be organized through this collaboration.
Startup India: The national program referenced for ecosystem-building and outreach efforts to enhance engagement across the startup landscape.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
DPIIT signs MoU with a digital entertainment
company to support startups and strengthen
innovation ecosystem
Posted On: 26 MAR 2026 1:38PM by PIB Delhi
In a significant step towards strengthening India’s startup and innovation ecosystem, the Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a digital entertainment company to support startups,
innovators, and entrepreneurs across the country.
The collaboration aims to foster the growth of product startups working in areas such as digital
entertainment, online gaming, esports, interactive media, and artificial intelligence-driven technologies. It
seeks to enable startups to develop scalable and industry-relevant solutions through structured industry
engagement.
As part of the initiative, startups will be provided access to mentorship, industry insights, knowledge
exchange platforms, and curated engagement opportunities. The partnership will also facilitate startups in
achieving key milestones such as Proof-of-Concept (PoC) development, market access, and integration
into industry ecosystems, wherever feasible.
Speaking on the occasion, Joint Secretary, DPIIT, Shri Sanjiv stated that the collaboration represents an
important step towards strengthening India’s digital and creative economy. He noted that such partnerships
enable startups to innovate, scale, and build globally competitive solutions in emerging technology
domains.
Under this collaboration, DPIIT will work with KRAFTON India Pvt. Ltd. to explore the organisation of
innovation challenges under the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge, along with targeted hackathons,
workshops, and masterclasses across domains such as game design, animation, immersive technologies,
esports management, and artificial intelligence applications.
The collaboration will also facilitate industry interactions, knowledge exchange, and exposure to global
best practices. Selected startups may gain opportunities for pilot collaborations, with potential for further
engagement based on outcomes.
Additionally, the initiative will support ecosystem-building through outreach efforts and participation in
Startup India programmes to enhance engagement across the startup landscape.
The MoU was signed by Deputy Secretary, DPIIT, Shri T. L. K. Singh and Head of Government Relations,
KRAFTON India Pvt. Ltd., Shri Vibhor Kukreti, in the presence of senior officials from both sides.***
Abhishek Dayal/ Garima Singh/ Ishita Biswas
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