Jason Kothari, a seasoned entrepreneur and former executive at Snapdeal, has secured $15 million in seed funding for his latest venture, Mythik. This early-stage capital injection reflects a powerful vote of confidence in the company’s ambitious vision: to create a global entertainment powerhouse rooted in the rich tapestry of Eastern mythology, history, and folktales.
A Star-Studded Seed Round
Kothari has pulled together an impressive lineup of investors for Mythik’s seed round. The backers include institutional and strategic investors such as Sakal Media Group, BITKRAFT Ventures, VC Grid, and Visceral Capital. Individual investors added considerable weight to the round as well. Shah Rukh Khan’s family office, the Patni family office, and international names like Saif Saeed Ghobash and Marc Younan participated. Indian investors such as Jayanti Kannai, Pravin Jain, Deepen Parikh, Samir Vora, Samarth Parekh, Anurag Goel, and Nishant Aggarwal also contributed.
Kothari himself has invested in the venture, showcasing his personal belief in the company’s mission. He expressed immense enthusiasm for the team of investors, stating, “We are excited about the world-class and strategic investors we have brought together and look forward to realizing Mythik’s vision and mission—to bring Eastern mythology, history, and folktales to the forefront of global entertainment and inspire happiness, peace, and hope.”
The Mythik Vision: A New Cultural Superpower
Launched just last month, Mythik seeks to bridge a massive gap in the global entertainment landscape. While the West has exported its myths and superhero tales through franchises like Marvel and Disney’s fairy tale adaptations, the East’s vast narrative wealth has remained largely untapped. Mythik aims to change that by modernizing and globalizing stories from the East—especially from regions like India, China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Kothari envisions Mythik not just as a content company, but as a cross-platform, tech-first entertainment entity. The startup will produce original films, series, games, and other content that appeal to both local and global audiences. Unlike traditional media companies, Mythik will fuse cutting-edge technology with cultural storytelling, creating scalable IP across various formats and markets.
A Powerhouse Leadership Team
The core team at Mythik includes senior talent from some of the world’s biggest entertainment and tech companies. Kothari has recruited former senior executives from Disney, Netflix, Amazon Studios, Jio, and Tencent to drive Mythik’s operations. This team brings a blend of creative vision, production expertise, and technological prowess that could prove pivotal in executing the company’s ambitious agenda.
These experienced professionals understand the nuances of storytelling and distribution in a globalized digital world. They also know how to create culturally resonant stories that transcend linguistic and geographic boundaries. Their presence sends a clear signal to the market: Mythik is here not just to participate but to lead in the global entertainment industry.
The Journey of Jason Kothari
Jason Kothari’s entrepreneurial career showcases his ability to revive struggling ventures and scale visionary ideas. He began his journey at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he acquired the bankrupt comic book company Valiant Entertainment. He steered the company’s revival and eventually sold it to DMG Entertainment for $100 million. Under his leadership, Valiant transformed from an overlooked brand into a respected player in the comic book and entertainment industries.
His work didn’t stop at publishing. Kothari took an active role in bringing Valiant’s characters to the big screen. He served as the executive producer of Bloodshot, a film based on a Valiant superhero and starring Hollywood action star Vin Diesel. The film marked a significant step in turning lesser-known mythologies and stories into mainstream cinematic experiences.
Following his success at Valiant, Kothari returned to India and entered the startup ecosystem. In 2015, he joined Housing.com after the exit of its controversial co-founder Rahul Yadav. Kothari assumed the CEO role and stabilized the business during a period of uncertainty. After that, he took over as CEO of FreeCharge, India’s then-popular digital payments platform. His leadership lasted for eight months until Axis Bank acquired the company.
Kothari then moved to Snapdeal as its Chief Strategy and Investment Officer. During his one-and-a-half-year tenure, he played a key role in formulating turnaround strategies and evaluating potential merger and acquisition opportunities. Through these high-impact leadership positions, Kothari built a reputation for operational excellence, bold vision, and strategic clarity.
Mythik’s Strategic Edge
What sets Mythik apart from other entertainment startups is its commitment to a tech-first model. While legacy studios rely on traditional production and distribution channels, Mythik will embed digital tools into every step of the content lifecycle. From concept development to audience engagement, technology will drive decisions.
The company plans to leverage data analytics, artificial intelligence, and immersive media tools like AR/VR to make its content interactive, discoverable, and globally appealing. Moreover, Mythik aims to retain complete ownership of its intellectual property (IP), allowing the firm to license, merchandise, and franchise its creations without dilution.
By focusing on Eastern storytelling traditions, Mythik taps into an incredibly deep reservoir of heroes, deities, creatures, and moral dilemmas. These stories come with built-in emotional arcs and rich symbolism, making them ripe for adaptation in multiple formats. At the same time, the company wants to present these narratives with modern sensibilities and cinematic production values.
Global Appetite for Eastern Stories
There has never been a better time to launch a venture like Mythik. Global audiences have shown increasing curiosity about Asian cultures through content like RRR, Baahubali, Squid Game, Kung Fu Panda, and The Monkey King. Streaming platforms, in particular, have democratized access to content from all over the world. However, most Eastern stories still reach viewers in fragmented or diluted forms.
Mythik will strive to change this by producing unified, high-quality entertainment with the power to influence popular culture. Kothari and his team want to make Eastern mythology as familiar to global children and adults as Cinderella or Iron Man. They believe that storytelling can foster cross-cultural understanding and emotional connection in a divided world.
Looking Ahead
With $15 million in the bank and a powerful team behind it, Mythik has hit the ground running. The company will soon announce its first slate of projects, which will include a mix of animated and live-action content, interactive games, and immersive digital experiences.
Kothari’s long-term goal is clear. He wants Mythik to stand beside Disney, Marvel, and Netflix as a cultural force. He wants audiences worldwide to embrace characters, values, and myths from the East, not just as entertainment but as emotional touchstones.
By blending entrepreneurship, storytelling, and strategic vision, Jason Kothari has positioned Mythik to redefine what global entertainment can look like. In doing so, he’s not just launching a startup—he’s building a movement.