India’s gaming platform Stan raises US$8.5 million in funding

Indian social gaming platform Stan has secured US$8.5 million in a new funding round backed by major Japanese gaming giants like Bandai Namco Entertainment, Square Enix, and Reazon Holdings, along with Google’s AI Futures Fund and Aptos Labs.

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

Stan is India’s homegrown solution—purpose‑built for Gen Z gamers and creators. With voice‑driven Clubs, live game integrations, monetisation features, and creator‑first discovery, Stan enables users to build vibrant, high‑energy communities.

The funding will be used to expand the platform’s 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 co-founder and CEO Parth Chadha said, “Gaming is no longer just play, it’s identity, conversation, and community.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.”

Google AI Futures Fund co-founder David Benjamin, “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.”

The platform enables creators to build and monetise communities through shoutouts, subscriptions, and brand-led activations; offers publishers native distribution powered by creator engagement. It claims to have over 25 million plus downloads and a strong user base in India’s tier-2 and tier-3 markets.