Google bets on Stan an Indian social gaming platform

Google supported StanAn Indian social gaming platform that connects gamers with creators, communities and publishers.

Google’s investment comes as part of the $ 8.5 million equity funding round, with Japanese gaming giant Bandai names Entertainment, Square Enix and Investment from Rejon Holdings. APTOS Labs and King River Capital, as well as current Backers General Catalist and GFR Fund participated. Google joined the round through this AI Futures FundWhich was launched in May to support the Startup Building with its AI Tool.

Stan, headquartered in Singapore, is trying to place itself as a gaming community platform for rival discords, but its approach to the market is quite different. Stan allows users to earn an in-app called “Ratna” by winning games such as Crafton’s Battleground Mobile India, Genna’s Free Fire Max, Mincraft, Call of Duty, or Ludo and Snake and Laders.

The app also allows the creators to set a chat room called clubs, which are channels sewn for each game on the platform. While anyone can join these clubs, they need to pay a social currency to reach “gaming experiences” that offer the creators. Startup takes a commission from these transactions.

The primary attraction appears in-app currency, however, it can be redeemed for vouchers on various e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, PhonePe and Flipkart. Users can also earn currency through referrals, a spin-to-vin wheel and daily award.

It seems that Stan’s mudification model is one that separates it: User can earn prizes through interactions, unlike discords, where chatting or participating in communities does not earn much to users, in addition to clouts.

However, Stan wants to shade discord. The company claims that it has already downloaded more than 25 million on the Play Store and App Store, and has about 5.5 million monthly active users.

“Stan is a hangout place for gamers. It’s a place where games come and make friends, play with each other, talk to each other, make a fusion of social and gaming,” said Stan’s co-founder and CEO Partha Chadha in an interview.

The chadha credits the characteristics of the stage for traction so far. Initially, the creators had to contact the company’s team to start streaming, but last year, the startup opened the platform for the user-related material, allowing anyone to be live. The innings helped to run both the download and engagement, the CEO said.

Stan game also works with publishers, studios and developers, including Crafton, Garina and Robox, who pays startups to connect them with gamers and creators on the platform.

Chadha told Techcrunch that in the last two quarters, around 100 game publishers, studios and developers have joined the platforms, and it is bringing more than 20 boards every month.

“It is turning into a very interesting business stream as we speak,” he said.

Further, Stan has planned to take advantage of Google’s support to use AI to improve moderation.

Currently 70% to 80% of moderation on Stan is already handled by AI, the Chadha said. A human moderation team manages the rest, but the startup plans to reduce it further using AI.

Additionally, Stan aims to bring an AI-managed toolkit for the creators, including the ability to produce avatars and memes, as well as equipment to filter quick north and chat.

He said, “There are many interesting plug-end-play models, which we and the Google team are working together to take advantage of the business and scale,” he said.

Stan is not the first Indian startup supported by Google’s AI Futures Fund. This distinction goes to the tonsutra, using AI to use a startup AI Immersive comic-reading experience,

Google confirmed Techcrunch that it has invested more than $ 5.5 billion in India to date, including Startups Tunasutra, Stan, Pixxel and Adda247.

Although Steyn’s app is currently geopolized for India, the platform still looks at 5% to 6% of its engagement from users abroad, which often uses it using Indian phone numbers and accounts. Next year, the startup plans to expand internationally, which begins with the Indian subcontinent, and will later target Southeast Asia and Latin America.

The startup was beneficial for a few months, the CEO said, but decided to spend some money to scale. Now its purpose is to gain profitability in 2027, he said.

Currently, the startup employs around 40 people; Less than 30 of them work in engineering.

With this growth, Stan’s total equity funding is now about $ 15 million.