Kalaari Capital pumps in $1.5 mn in gaming, Web 3.0 upskilling platform Outscal

Early-stage, technology-focused venture capital firm Kalaari Capital has invested $1.5 million in a seed funding round in a Delhi-based gaming and Web 3.0 upskilling platform -- Outscal. The startup, founded by Mayank Grover, helps professionals and students land jobs in global gaming companies and start their ventures.

"With over 250+ students enrolled and 100+ game-development studios as hiring partners, Outscal is enabling many new careers in the gaming industry. Delighted to partner with Mayank Grover and his team as they look to solve one of the biggest challenges in the gaming industry: the shortage of tech talent," said Vani Kola, MD at Kalaari Capital. Kalaari's other major investments include Dream11, POPxo, GoSwift, and Guardian. 

Outscal says a big chunk of candidates, who enrolled on its game development programmes and got jobs in the gaming industry, was with no prior coding experience; many were from mechanical, chemical, and even humanities backgrounds. "We have also partnered with 100+ gaming studios in India to fulfil their talent needs," an Outscal statement said.

Startup founder Grover said of over 5,000+ tech colleges in India, there is a lack of structured programmes in game development that align with the industry needs. "So companies end up, either having positions open for months or hiring talent first and then spending resources on their upskilling. We’re bridging this gap," he added. Mayank had previously worked with gaming studios like Electronic Arts, Kixeye, DeNA, and Junglee Games across the US and India. 

Outscal’s Game Academy offers two core products. The first product is for companies or studios that are looking to hire talent. The second core offering is for learners and professionals who are looking to upskill, start or advance their careers in the gaming industry.

Outscal has partnered with 100+ companies, including PTW, GSN Games, and startups like nCore Games, LILA Games, and Playshifu. "Typically we expect 20% of our candidates to reach the final stage of the hiring process, numbers that are usually unheard of. Our secret sauce is in the evaluation engine that lets us vet talent at scale," claims the company.

Globally, the gaming market is expected to cross $230 billion in 2022. Games made up just 6.1% of global spending in the entertainment and media sector in 2017. By 2026, that share is expected to cross 11%. While there is a massive demand for new gaming IPs, one of the biggest impediments is a huge shortage of talent.

Around 250,000 jobs were generated across the global gaming industry annually, of which more than 50% are entry-level. If combined with Web 3, the number goes up to 1.25 million jobs.