Google bets on STAN, an Indian social gaming platform
Google has invested $8.5 million in STAN, an Indian social gaming platform designed to connect gamers with creators, communities, and publishers. This significant backing underscores Google’s commitment to fostering innovation within the gaming and AI sectors in India.
The investment was part of an $8.5 million equity funding round that attracted substantial interest from global players. Notable participants included Japanese gaming giants Bandai Namco Entertainment, Square Enix, and Reazon Holdings. Aptos Labs, King River Capital, and existing backers General Catalyst and GFR Fund also contributed to the round. Google’s participation came through its AI Futures Fund, launched in May to champion startups building with its cutting-edge AI tools.
Headquartered in Singapore, STAN is carving out a unique niche in the social gaming landscape, aiming to rival established platforms like Discord. Its innovative approach allows users to earn an in-app currency called “Gems” by winning games. These popular titles range from major titles like Krafton’s Battlegrounds Mobile India, Garena’s Free Fire Max, Minecraft, and Call of Duty, to casual games such as Ludo and Snakes & Ladders.
The platform’s monetization model is particularly distinctive. Users can redeem their earned Gems for vouchers on popular e-commerce platforms like Amazon, PhonePe, and Flipkart. Creators on STAN can establish “Clubs” tailored to specific games, offering exclusive “gaming experiences” to their communities for a social currency. STAN then takes a commission from these transactions, creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem.
STAN has demonstrated impressive traction, reporting over 25 million downloads across the Google Play Store and Apple App Store combined, with approximately 5.5 million monthly active users. The platform actively collaborates with game publishers, studios, and developers, including Krafton, Garena, and Roblox, who pay STAN to facilitate connections with its engaged gamer and creator base. The company has seen robust growth in partnerships, onboarding nearly 100 game publishers in the past two quarters, and adding more than 20 new partners each month.
Looking to the future, STAN plans to leverage Google’s investment and expertise to significantly enhance its AI capabilities. A key focus will be on improving content moderation, an area where STAN already utilizes AI for 70-80% of its operations. The startup intends to further reduce reliance on human moderation by integrating more advanced AI solutions. Additionally, STAN is developing AI-powered toolkits for creators, which will include features for generating avatars and memes, as well as tools for rapid responses and chat filtering, in close collaboration with the Google team.
STAN’s inclusion marks another milestone in Google’s expanding presence and investment in India’s tech ecosystem. Prior to STAN, Google’s AI Futures Fund had backed Toonsutra, a startup utilizing AI to power an immersive comic-reading experience. Google has underscored its commitment to India, having invested over $5.5 billion to date, supporting various innovative companies like Pixxel and Adda247.
While STAN’s app is currently geo-restricted to India, the platform experiences 5% to 6% engagement from users abroad, often accessing the service via Indian phone numbers. The startup has outlined plans for international expansion, commencing with the Indian subcontinent, followed by targeted efforts in Southeast Asia and Latin America within the next year. STAN, which experienced profitability for a period before investing in growth, aims to achieve profitability again by 2027. The company currently employs around 40 people, with a strong focus on product engineering. This latest funding round brings STAN’s total equity funding to approximately $15 million.
