In a landmark moment for India’s media-tech industry, entrepreneur Jason Kothari has announced the launch of his new startup Mythik, which has raised $15 million in seed funding, the largest such round in the sector’s history.
The startup’s bold ambition is to create the “Disney from the East” by bringing Eastern mythology, folklore, and historical narratives to a global audience through immersive, tech-enabled storytelling.
“These ancient stories have a built-in global audience of 3.5 billion people and will be brought to life using cutting-edge technology,” the company said in a statement.
A High-Profile Investor Roster
The seed round saw participation from a mix of marquee institutional and individual investors, including:
- Shah Rukh Khan’s Family Office
- Sakal Media Group
- BITKRAFT Ventures
- VC Grid
- Visceral Capital
- Patni Family Office
- Jaynti Kanani (Co-founder, Polygon)
- Saif Saeed Ghobash (Secretary General, Abu Dhabi Executive Council)
- Pravin Jain (Founder, Tridiagonal AI)
- Marc Younan (Former Principal, Redbird Capital)
- Deepen Parikh (Co-founder, Courtside Ventures)
- Other noted investors include Samir Vora, Samarth Parekh, Anurag Goel, and Nishant Aggarwal.
Jason Kothari, who personally invested in the venture, described the funding round as “a powerful validation of Mythik’s vision to elevate Eastern narratives onto the world stage.”
Veteran-Led Global Team
Mythik’s founding team comprises senior executives with decades of experience from global entertainment giants including Disney, Netflix, Amazon Studios, Jio, and Tencent. This gives the startup an edge in understanding both storytelling and global distribution dynamics.
Kothari himself is known for reviving Valiant Entertainment and producing the Hollywood film Bloodshot starring Vin Diesel. In India, he has previously helmed Housing.com as CEO and served in leadership roles at FreeCharge and Snapdeal.
Global Entertainment with Eastern Roots
Mythik aims to build franchises across various formats, animation, interactive games, comic books, and eventually live-action films based on rich Eastern mythological and cultural narratives from India, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.
The company will deploy advanced technologies like gaming engines and artificial intelligence to produce content that resonates with younger, global digital audiences.
“We want to tell stories that promote happiness, peace, and hope and do so through immersive experiences that feel both modern and timeless,” Kothari said in a statement.
Strategic Timing and Market Opportunity
Mythik’s timing with its launch comes at a time when there is increased global interest in non-Western narratives, following success with series like RRR, Squid Game, and Demon Slayer. According to industry experts, the firm would be able to capitalize on a gaping hole in the global content market.
With massive intellectual property potential and a top-tier investor network, Mythik is poised to lead a new era of culturally rooted, globally appealing entertainment exports from India.
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