Google invests in STAN, Indian social gaming platform aiming to rival Discord

Google has invested in STAN, an Indian social gaming platform that connects gamers, creators, and publishers through a unique rewards-based ecosystem. The investment is part of an $8.5 million equity funding round that also included participation from Japanese gaming giants Bandai Namco Entertainment, Square Enix, and Reazon Holdings, as well as Aptos Labs, King River Capital, and existing backers General Catalyst and GFR Fund. Google’s involvement came through its AI Futures Fund, launched in May to support startups building with its AI technologies. Headquartered in Singapore, STAN aims to become a leading social hub for gamers, positioning itself as a competitor to Discord. Unlike traditional platforms, STAN rewards users with in-app currency called “Gems” for engaging in games such as Battlegrounds Mobile India, Free Fire Max, Minecraft, Call of Duty, and casual titles like Ludo and Snakes & Ladders. Users can earn Gems through gameplay, referrals, daily rewards, and a spin-to-win wheel. The platform’s core innovation lies in its monetization model. Creators can set up game-specific chat rooms known as “Clubs,” which users can join by spending Gems. STAN takes a commission on these transactions, creating a sustainable revenue stream. Gems can be redeemed for vouchers on major e-commerce platforms like Amazon, PhonePe, and Flipkart, giving users tangible value for their engagement. Parth Chadha, co-founder and CEO of STAN, described the platform as a social hub where gamers form friendships, play together, and interact. He highlighted that the shift to allowing user-generated live streams last year significantly boosted user growth and engagement. The platform now has over 25 million downloads across the Play Store and App Store, with around 5.5 million monthly active users. STAN has also built strong partnerships with major game developers and publishers, including Krafton, Garena, and Roblox, who pay to access its community of gamers and creators. In the past two quarters, nearly 100 new partners have joined, with over 20 added each month, a trend Chadha described as a “very interesting business stream.” Looking ahead, STAN plans to use Google’s AI expertise to enhance content moderation and creator tools. Currently, 70% to 80% of moderation is handled by AI, with the remainder managed by a human team. The company aims to reduce reliance on human moderators further. It also plans to roll out AI-powered tools for creators, including avatar generation, meme creation, and smart chat filtering. Chadha noted that Google and STAN are collaborating on leveraging plug-and-play AI models to scale the platform’s capabilities. While STAN’s app is currently limited to India, about 5% to 6% of its engagement comes from users abroad, often using Indian accounts. The company plans to expand into the Indian subcontinent first, followed by Southeast Asia and Latin America. Although STAN was briefly profitable, the team chose to reinvest in growth. The company aims to achieve profitability by 2027. It currently employs around 40 people, with fewer than 30 in product engineering. With this latest round, STAN’s total equity funding reaches approximately $15 million. Google has now invested over $5.5 billion in India, including in startups like Toonsutra, Pixxel, and Adda 24X7.