New Delhi, April 5, 2025: The second day of Startup Mahakumbh 2025 continued to accelerate momentum at Asia’s largest startup celebration, with a spotlight on transformative conversations around gaming, women-led innovation, and the evolving landscape of game distribution.
At the heart of the day’s programming was the Gaming Pavilion, which hosted a series of compelling sessions featuring trailblazing founders, leading investors, and ecosystem enablers. The pavilion underscored India’s growing influence in the global gaming space while amplifying voices that are driving innovation and inclusivity. The highlight was the panel discussion with Asia’s biggest digital creator and gaming influencer Ajey Nagar, popularly known as CarryMinati engaging with aspiring gamers, sharing insights in a high-energy conversation alongside Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore, co-founders of WinZO. Ajey explained about his journey as an influencer and challenges he has faced in his journey.
“There was a point in my life that changed everything. Before that, I was experimenting and trying almost everything — just exploring. The real turning point came when a few of my videos started gaining traction on YouTube. That’s when I decided to take content creation seriously and committed myself fully. Making videos has never been easy — each one comes with its own set of challenges. It takes a lot of time, effort, and creativity. But with every video, I’ve grown, not just as a creator but as a person. It’s incredibly rewarding. I feel truly lucky and grateful to be able to do what I love. Today, the space is far more competitive than when I started. New creators face constant comparison and a cluttered environment. But if you’re passionate, it’s all worth it — because despite the pressure, there’s so much joy in creating that you simply can’t take it for granted.” said Ajey Nagar popularly known as CarryMinati.
Women Making an Impact in the World of Gaming – Powered by WinZO GCoE
The session titled “Women Making an Impact in the World of Gaming”, powered by WinZO Games’ GCoE (Gaming Centre of Excellence) explored how women are not only reshaping leadership in the gaming industry but also contributing uniquely to product design, player engagement, and community building. Moderated by Ramanjot Kohli, Growth & Strategy, WinZO Games, the panel featured inspiring industry leaders including Anupriya Sinha Das (Nazara Technologies), Jaya Chahar (JCDC Sports), and Priya Meenakshi Narasimhan (Indus App Store).
Meta Solutions powering growth across gaming lifecycle
The session on Game Distribution Leveraging Meta brought together experts like Shefali Arora (Agency Partner Manager Meta India), Ankush Takyar (Strategy and Growth, WinZO) and Sagrika Sharan (Client Partner Meta). The panel explored how Meta is redefining game distribution through creator-led engagement and powerful tools like Reels. With 75% of purchases influenced by Reels and 40% of users’ time spent on them, Meta is driving both discovery and business growth. Speakers emphasized how the platform empowers authentic communities, enabling game creators to launch, scale, and connect with audiences in meaningful ways.
In a masterclass on How a venture capitalist thinks at his stage Aditya Deshpande, Vice President, Lumikai took the audience through the 5Cs for Founding Team – Competence, character, commitment, clarity, curiosity. He emphasised on market dynamics a venture capitalist should keep in mind while investing and how critical details on market size, competitive dynamics, timing and growth prospects play an important role in decision making.
Founder’s Cut: Navigating the highs, lows, and future of interactive entertainment.
The session with eminent founders from the industry darsh Muthappa (AutoVRse), Krishnendu Mukherjee (GigaFunStudios) and Aman Satija (Buystars) moderated by Aditya Deshpande, Vice President, Lumikai revealed that while a solid pitch and clear business model are vital, it’s the unique story and vision of the founder that truly captures investors’ attention. Emphasizing the need to adapt fundraising strategies with shifting investor expectations, they advised learning from past efforts and staying in tune with market trends.