Centre of Excellence in Gaming and Animation has opened applications for its third incubation cohort, a government backed initiative led by HUM Network alongside Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication and Ignite National Technology Fund. The programme will select 20 startups from Karachi and Lahore for a six-month incubation track spanning gaming, animation, and creative technology, continuing a track record that has already moved dozens of teams from raw concept toward investor-ready studios across its first two cohorts.
Selected startups gain hands-on mentorship and expert guidance led by LUMS Centre of Entrepreneurship, pairing gaming and animation specific technical support with structured business mentorship from one of Pakistan’s most established entrepreneurship institutions. Participants also receive a fully funded workspace along with access to a high-performance rendering studio, addressing one of the most persistent barriers facing Pakistani game and animation developers, the high upfront cost of the specialized hardware needed to produce work that can compete on quality with international studios.
Crucially, the programme takes zero percent equity, allowing founders to retain full ownership of their intellectual property, a structure that stands apart from many private accelerator models and reflects the initiative’s positioning as public infrastructure meant to build the sector broadly rather than extract value from individual studios. Cohort startups also gain opportunities for local and international partnerships, along with direct access to investors at a final summit, mirroring the format used for CEGA’s inaugural cohort, where eight standout teams pitched directly to global publishers and investors after six months of development, market testing, and creative refinement.
CEGA is calling on a specific range of applicants for Cohort 3, including solo developers, indie studios, VFX teams, final year project teams, and freelancers with original intellectual property, a scope broad enough to capture both early-career technical talent and more established creative teams looking for structured growth support. Interested applicants have a narrow window to apply, with the deadline set for September 21, 2026, and can submit applications through CEGA’s official website. The programme continues CEGA’s broader mandate to train more than 10,000 individuals and incubate 200 startups over its first five years, building on a growing track record that has included its recent presence at Tokyo Game Show 2026 and its ongoing effort to build a national community of game developers, animators, and creative professionals through recurring events and showcases.
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