Mumbai: STAN, a social gaming platform, has raised $8.5 million in a new funding round led by global investors and industry heavyweights. The round saw participation from Japanese gaming giants Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., Square Enix, Reazon Holdings, as well as Google’s AI Futures Fund and Aptos Labs, reinforcing STAN’s mission to revolutionize social and gaming experiences for mobile-first users across India and beyond.
Existing backers General Catalyst, GFR Fund, T-Accelerate Capital, and Pix Capital also returned to participate, reaffirming confidence in STAN’s vision, product strength, and rapidly scaling community-first approach.
STAN is at the forefront of a significant shift in India’s digital culture—offering Gen Z gamers and creators a mobile-optimized alternative to legacy platforms like Discord and Twitch. With over 25 million+ downloads, a stronghold in tier-2 and tier-3 markets, and a robust voice-led feature set, STAN is emerging as a homegrown platform that merges gaming, community, and creator economy—transforming gameplay into a powerful social experience.
“Gaming is no longer just play, it’s identity, conversation, and community,” said Parth Chadha, Co-founder & CEO, STAN. “We’ve built STAN with India at the core and the user at the centre. Every product decision is grounded in what drives real value for our creators and communities. In the last two years, we’ve grown 25x — purely through product-led growth. This is just the beginning! We’re building the next billion-dollar social company out of India, and we’re doing it the only way we know—fast, focused, and user-first.”
The newly raised funds will be utilized to:
- Expand STAN’s footprint in India and other mobile-dominated markets.
- Invest in AI-led personalization and creator tooling.
- Launch new tools and integrations for gaming publishers and brand partners.
With features like voice-led clubs, live game integrations, monetization tools, and creator-first discovery, STAN is bridging a crucial gap in India’s social and gaming ecosystem. The platform empowers creators to engage their audience through shoutouts, subscriptions, and branded activations, while providing publishers native distribution driven by creator engagement.
“STAN’s vision for empowering creators and enriching fan communities with innovative and responsible AI features deeply resonates with us. That’s why we’re so thrilled to welcome them to the AI Futures Fund and collaborate closely to help bring their cutting-edge ideas to life,” said David Benjamin, Co-Founder, AI Futures Fund, Google.
STAN’s meteoric rise is redefining how India plays, connects, and creates—blurring the lines between gaming and social media. As the platform expands to global mobile-first markets, STAN is poised to lead the next chapter of India’s digital and creator-led economy.
