Enchant is launching a brand new zero-equity accelerator for gaming and AI startups, with purposes now open for its three-month program.
The accelerator is devoted to early-stage groups on the crossroads of gaming and synthetic intelligence. Based by veterans of Sony, Supercell, EA, Ubisoft and Playrix, the totally distant program offers founders hands-on product sprints, weekly one-on-one periods with {industry} leaders and direct entry to a worldwide investor community — whereas letting each startup preserve one hundred pc of its cap-table.
Enchant backs firms constructing video games, gaming-industry instruments, AI merchandise and Web3 experiences. By stripping away workplace necessities and fairness grabs, the accelerator concentrates on fast product iteration, real-world traction and heat introductions to publishers, VCs and strategic companions, stated Eugenii Unegovskiy, cofounder of Enchant, in an interview with GamesBeat.
Rolling admission, private begin date
This system is an intensive 12-week observe that begins the day a crew is accepted. Founders apply each time they’re prepared; there isn’t any want to attend for fastened cohorts. From day one, every firm follows a milestone roadmap that features product deep-dives, go-to-market workshops and Demo-Day preparation.
“Founders shouldn’t have to attend for a calendar slot,” stated Unegovskiy. “Acceptance triggers day-one sprints, reside playtests and construct critiques shoulder-to-shoulder with veterans from triple-A studios. It’s actual co-building, not classroom mentoring, and it means merchandise hit the market in weeks, not months.”
“Zero-equity is a robust profit, with an excellent larger benefit being a clear cap desk that helps early gaming and AI groups shut future rounds sooner,” added Aakash Parameswaran, CEO of Fable Fox, a former Sport Designer at Digital Arts and an knowledgeable in Enchant, in a press release. “From refining core loops to designing live-service economies, we work within the trenches so founders keep player-first and ship video games buyers can belief.”
Why zero-equity issues
Holding the cap-table clear on the earliest stage helps founders retain management and keep extra enticing for future Seed and Sequence A rounds, when dilution stakes are far bigger. It additionally lets Enchant function purely on the startup’s success, aligning incentives round product wins and fundraising milestones.
Purposes are reviewed on a rolling foundation, and accepted groups can begin instantly. Unegovskiy stated that whereas working demo days for recreation startups at Subscrible, he realized one thing essential: most early-stage founders don’t fail as a result of the product is weak — they fail as a result of the enterprise round it isn’t prepared. No go-to-market, no monetization technique, no clear concept how a lot cash they want — or why.
“That’s why I teamed up with people from Supercell, Ubisoft, Sony, EA, King, Xsolla, and Oracle — lots of whom I’m certain or have crossed paths with — together with the creators of Tetris, Offended Birds, and Reduce the Rope, to launch Enchant, a brand new type of accelerator for gaming and AI startups,” Unegovskiy stated.
With out cohorts or fairness, the corporate will present centered assist that helps founders transfer ahead.
“We assist with pitch coaching, fundraising prep, GTM and monetization technique, grant and UA assist, authorized and advertising steering — plus entry to instruments, credit, and associate providers value over $500,000 (cloud credit, analytics, dev instruments, and so on.),” Unegovskiy stated. “It’s a easy mannequin: small month-to-month price + successful price if we assist a crew increase or develop — no early dilution.”
The crew contains Tim Horton, an skilled gaming government with 16+ years in management, enterprise improvement, and partnerships throughout the international gaming {industry}. Horton helps optimize operations, drive progress, and ship high-quality initiatives in cell gaming, triple-A artwork, console porting, and recreation improvement.
Sutton Trout makes a speciality of management/strategic partnerships/enterprise improvement/purpose attainment and income. He’s an action-oriented chief with 20 years of experiences in video games and leisure. He has labored at Supercell, Sony and WB Video games. And he helped with complicated initiatives and main launches like Hogwarts Legacy.
Additionally on the crew is Andrey Feinberg (Kuznetsov), former CIO at GDEV and Nexters. He has greater than 10 years of expertise in gaming, tech, and web industries. He helped closed 40+ offers value over $800 million, and he’s now an unbiased advisor centered on fundraising, M&A, and technique for gaming and interactive leisure firms.
Unegovskiy is among the specialists, as he’s a six-time founder with expertise in recreation improvement and AI. Different specialists embrace Amir Shaked, Igor Diev, Jun Qian, Oded Lavie, Martin Hoszowski, Kevin Beardslee, Yosef Warburg, Wes Harris, Elvis Fernandes, Han Lee, Faisal Nazir, Tim Gerritsen, Hovav Shoshan, Igor Bazhanov, Cipto Adiguno, Casey Dickinson, Rosario Basilotta, Aakash Parameswaran, Mariam Japaridze and Eugene Volikov.
By not taking a stake within the firm, Unegovskiy stated the corporate focuses on working side-by-side with founders to enhance all the things from pitch to income technique. It takes a flat month-to-month price, plus successful price if it helps a crew increase cash or develop. The price is often 5% to 10% of the raised quantity or a share of income progress.
“We additionally reserve the correct to put money into future rounds on founder-friendly phrases — aligned with
long-term assist, not short-term possession,” stated Unegovskiy. He additionally stated mentors and advisserss are similiarly aligned to the startup’s success.
The corporate simply opened purposes and are beginning to see a various mixture of early-stage founders — from recreation studios to AI-tool builders, throughout a number of areas. A big share of curiosity is coming from initiatives working on the intersection of gaming and AI — mixing artistic ambition with scalable infrastructure.
“We’re seeing robust indicators that the subsequent wave of gaming startups will likely be deeply technical, globally minded, and searching for business-first assist with out early dilution,” Unegovskiy stated.
