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Studio Sirah, a Bengaluru-based studio that makes mid-core India-first games, has raised seed investment of $830,000 led by Lumikai. The round also saw participation from a group of strategic angels, including Akshat Rathee (Founder, Nodwin Games), Alexis Bonte (COO, Stillfront Games), Piyush Shah (Co-founder, Inmobi), Roshni Rathi (Partner, BCG), and Sameer Pitalwalla (Director, Epic Games). 

Commenting on the raise, Abhaas Shah, CEO and Co-founder, Studio Sirah, said:

“Gaming has always been a passion for us, and we are truly thrilled to be on this journey. With the backing of Lumikai and our superb set of angels, we can breathe life into our ambitious goal of evolving Indian content through games. Salone and Justin are former studio operators, bringing hands-on industry knowledge, boldness of vision and a global network of experts and partners – we could not have asked for more.” 

Studio Sirah is currently hiring for multiple roles. The startup was founded by Abhaas and Prateek Shah, both avid gamers, who have worked for the likes of Nvidia and Bain. The two brothers grew up devouring games like Age of Empires, Hearthstone, and the Civilisation series, and bring a deep understanding of the core immersive offering at the heart of such titles.

Prateek Shah, Co-founder of Studio Sirah, added,

“Lumikai is the best partner we could have asked for on our journey. With their extensive experience and deep understanding of the world of gaming, they align with our long-term vision while perfectly complementing our current strengths. Together with them and our angels, we hope to bring Indian lore to the world in a way that only modern games can do.” 

Their first title, Kurukshetra: Ascension (in MVP), is a card battler themed on India’s greatest mythological epics, bringing together its rich 5,000-year-old lore with strategic gameplay, immersive art, and a deep progression system. Future titles will mine content from India’s vast mythos and history and define a new generation of global-quality Indian-content games for both Indian and foreign players.

Salone Sehgal, General Partner at Lumikai, added, “We have been deeply impressed with the blue-sky, innovative thinking, game design insights combined with speed of execution demonstrated by Abhaas and Prateek. The growing sophistication of the Indian gamer has meant a greater demand for world-class IP with culturally resonant content. We deeply believe in the power of high-quality, India-first, original IP in mid-core games towards unlocking value. Trailblazer phenomena is real in gaming and we are proud to support Studio Sirah on their ambitious journey.”