Backed by gaming giants like Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and Google’s AI Futures Fund, STAN aims to become the creator-first social gaming platform for mobile-first markets
Inside STAN’s $10.5 Mn Series A
India’s mobile-first gaming market is heating up — and social gaming platform STAN is capitalising on the momentum. The startup has closed its Series A round at $10.5 Mn (~INR 88 Cr), with Sony Innovation Fund and Hyderabad Angels Fund joining the cap table in the latest $2 Mn top-up.
Earlier participants in the round include some of the biggest names in global gaming, such as:
- Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc
- Square Enix
- Reazon Holdings
- Google’s AI Futures Fund
- Aptos Labs
This follows Nazara Technologies’ strategic investment in September 2024, when it acquired a 15.86% stake for INR 18.4 Cr, marking its strong belief in STAN’s potential.
What STAN Is Building
Founded in 2015 by Parth Chadha, Nauman Mulla, and Rahul Singh, STAN is creating a mobile-first, creator-empowering platform that connects gamers, creators, and fans through:
- AI-led personalisation
- Creator monetisation tools
- In-game integrations and publisher support
- Community engagement modules
The goal? To become the go-to platform for gaming communities across India and other mobile-first countries, especially in tier II & III cities.
“Together with our investors, we aim to build the most creator-empowering, mobile-first platform that redefines how gaming communities connect and thrive,” said CEO Parth Chadha.
Key Metrics & Traction
- User base: 12 Mn+ (as of 2024)
- Revenue FY24: $1.8 Mn (up 2X YoY from $0.9 Mn)
- EBITDA loss: Narrowed to $0.9 Mn from $1.2 Mn in FY23
- Growth: 25X in two years, driven by product-led growth
With high traction in non-metro markets, STAN is positioning itself as a social gaming infrastructure layer, offering discovery, monetisation, and content tools for both creators and publishers.
Where The Funds Will Go
🧠 AI-Powered Personalisation: Deeper gamified experiences & feed customisation
💸 Creator Tooling: Empower micro and mid-tier creators to monetise faster
🎮 Publisher Integrations: Help studios build immersive community layers
🌏 Expansion: Push into mobile-dominant international markets
Strategic Relevance In Gaming VC Boom
STAN’s Series A comes at a time when gaming VC activity is surging in India:
- Nazara has backed Play Ventures & F4 Venture Fund
- Meta Gaming Accelerator launched to support 20–30 studios in India
- Pressplay Capital (ex-Brightcove execs) targeting $10 Mn maiden gaming fund
- Early-stage rounds seen across Felicity Games, Funstop Games, KGeN and more
India now boasts 435 Mn online gamers, and the market is projected to grow to INR 66,000 Cr by 2028 (PwC).
STAN’s Long-Term Play
While most platforms either focus on gaming content or community building, STAN aims to unify both — giving creators the tools, gamers the connections, and publishers the distribution to thrive in mobile-first ecosystems.
In a world where gaming is the new social media, STAN wants to be the Instagram for gamers — built in India, scaling globally.
