Bengaluru-based social gaming platform STAN has raised $8.5 million in a Series A round, backed by global gaming heavyweights Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., Square Enix, and Reazon Holdings, along with Google’s AI Futures Fund and Aptos Labs. Existing investors including General Catalyst, GFR Fund, T-Accelerate Capital, and Pix Capital also participated in the round.
The fresh capital will be used to strengthen STAN’s AI-led personalization stack, launch new creator and publisher tools, and expand its footprint across India and other mobile-first markets.
Launched in 2022 by Parth Chadha, Rahul Singh, and Nauman Mulla, STAN is building a mobile-native, social-first platform for Gen Z gamers, creators, and publishers. Its tools—ranging from live audio, creator clubs, to real-time monetization—enable community growth and brand activation within gaming environments.
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The startup claims to have crossed 25 million downloads, with strong traction in tier-2 and tier-3 Indian markets, offering a differentiated play in the social-gaming space. Its creator-first business model includes monetization through shoutouts, subscriptions, and brand-led activations, while publishers benefit from native distribution powered by creator engagement.
This brings STAN’s total funding to $13 million, including its $4.5 million pre-Series A round backed by GFR Fund, Aptos Labs, Pix Capital, Maelstrom Fund, and General Catalyst.
As Discord battles saturation in mature markets, this startup is positioning itself as the India-first challenger, focused on behavior-driven gaming, social monetization, and mobile-native infrastructure.
