India

Indian social gaming platform STAN has raised $8.5 million in a new funding round with participation from Japanese gaming giants, including Bandai Namco Entertainment INC., Square Enix and Reazon Holdings, as well as Google’s AI Futures Fund, Aptos Labs.

The funding round also witnessed participation from existing investors, including General Catalyst, GFR Fund, T-Accelerate Capital, and Pix Capital.

The startup plans to use the raised funds to expand its presence in India and other mobile-dominant markets, invest in AI-led personalisations and creator tooling, and launch new integrations for publishers and partners looking to build inside gaming-led communities.

Stan enables creators to build and monetise communities through shoutouts, subscriptions, and brand-led activations; offers publishers native distribution powered by creator engagement.

Gaming is no longer just play, it’s identity, conversation, and community,” said Parth Chadha, Co-founder & CEO of 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”

“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.