Google has supported Stan, an Indian social gaming platform that connects gamers with creators, communities and publishers.
Google’s investment came as part of a $8.5 million stock financing round, and also saw investments from Japanese gaming giants Bandai Namco Entertainment, Square Enix and Reazon Holdings. Aptos Labs and King River Capital, as well as existing supporters General Catalyst and GFR Fund also participated. Google took part in the round via the AI Futures Fund. The AIFutures Fund was launched in May to support Startups Building using AI tools.
Stan, headquartered in Singapore, is about to run for position as a gaming community platform, but his approach to the market is completely different. Stan can earn in-app currency called “Gems” by winning games such as Krafton’s Battlegrounds Mobile India, Garena’s Free Fire Max, Minecraft, Call of Duty, and casual titles such as Ludo and Snakes & Ladders.
The app also allows creators to set up chat rooms called clubs. Clubs are channels tailored to each game on the platform. Anyone can join these clubs, but they will need to pay social currency to access the “game experience” offered by creators. The startup receives a commission from these transactions.
However, the main attraction seems to be in-app currency, as it can be exchanged for vouchers on various e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, PhonePe, and Flipkart. Users can also earn currency via referrals, spin-to-win wheels, and daily rewards.
Stan’s monetization model appears to highlight it. Users can earn rewards through interactions, unlike discrepancies that don’t attract much users except for influence by chatting or joining a community.
Nevertheless, Stan wants to cast a shadow of the discrepancy. The company claims it has already won over 25 million downloads on the Play Store and App Store, with around 5.5 million active users each month.
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“Stan is a hangout for gamers. It’s a place where gamers come in and make friends, play with each other, talk to each other, and a fusion of social and gaming,” said Perth Chada, co-founder and CEO of Stan, in an interview.
Chadha has so far praised the platform’s capabilities for its traction. Initially, creators had to contact the company’s team to start streaming, but last year the startup opened its platform to user-generated content, allowing anyone to perform live. This shift helped drive both downloads and engagement, the CEO said.
Stan works with game publishers, studios and developers such as Krafton, Garena, and Roblox to pay startups to connect with gamers and creators on the platform.
Chadha told TechCrunch that nearly 100 game publishers, studios and developers have joined the platform in the last two quarters, with over 20 people each month.
“It’s turning into a very interesting business stream as we talk about,” he said.
In the future, Stan will use Google’s support to improve moderation using AI.
Currently, between 70% and 80% of STAN moderation is already being handled by AI, Chadha said. Human moderation teams manage the rest, but startups plan to use AI to reduce it even further.
Additionally, Stan aims to include a toolkit with AI-powered creators, including the ability to create avatars and memes, as well as tools to filter quick replies and chats.
“There are a lot of interesting plug-and-play models, which are expanding by us and the Google team working together to leverage the business,” he said.
Stan is not the first Indian startup backed by Google’s AI Futures Fund. The distinction comes from Toonsutra, a startup that uses AI.
Google has confirmed that it has invested more than $5.5 billion in India so far, including startups Toonsutra, Stan, Pixxel and Adda247.
Stan’s apps are currently restricted to India, but on this platform, between 5% and 6% of engagement comes from overseas users, often accessed using Indian phone numbers and accounts. The following year, the startup will begin in the Indian subcontinent and later target Southeast Asia and Latin America, with an international expansion.
The CEO said the startup had been making profits for several months but decided to spend some money on scaling. He added that he is currently aiming to achieve profitability in 2027.
The startup currently employs around 40 people. Less than 30 of them work in product engineering.
The salary increase brings Stan’s total funding now amounting to around $15 million.
