STAN Raises $8.5M Led by Bandai Namco, Square Enix & Google AI Futures Fund to Scale Mobile Social Gaming

Social gaming platform STAN announced on Thursday that it has secured $8.5 million in a new funding round co‑led by Japanese gaming powerhouses Bandai Namco Entertainment, Square Enix and Reazon Holdings alongside Google’s AI Futures Fund and Aptos Labs.

Existing backers General Catalyst, GFR Fund, T‑Accelerate Capital and Pix Capital also participated, underscoring strong investor confidence in STAN’s vision and product execution.

The fresh capital will be channelled into expanding STAN’s footprint across India’s fast‑growing tier‑2 and tier‑3 markets as well as other mobile‑dominant regions worldwide. The company plans to enhance its AI‑driven personalisation engines, roll out advanced creator tools and integrate with game publishers seeking native community‑building capabilities.

STAN’s co‑founder and CEO, Parth Chadha, noted, “In the last two years, we’ve grown 25× through product‑led expansion. This round supercharges our ability to bring new features to Gen Z gamers and creators at scale.”

Designed specifically for mobile users in emerging markets, STAN offers voice‑led “Clubs”, live‑game integrations and built‑in monetisation features shoutouts, subscriptions and brand activations, that global incumbents like Discord and Twitch lack on mobile.

Over 25 million downloads to date attest to its traction, particularly among India’s young gaming communities. “Gaming is no longer just play; it’s identity, conversation and community,” Chadha said, highlighting STAN’s mission to transform gameplay into a social layer rather than a mere content stream.

Google’s AI Futures Fund, making its first investment in an Indian gaming start‑up, praised STAN’s “innovative and responsible AI features” aimed at empowering creators. “We’re thrilled to welcome STAN to the AI Futures Fund and collaborate on bringing their cutting‑edge ideas to life,” said David Benjamin, co‑founder of the Fund.

Participation by Bandai Namco and Square Enix not only brings capital but also deep content and distribution expertise, positioning STAN to forge strategic alliances with established game franchises.

With this infusion, STAN aims to accelerate roadmap milestones—enhancing AI personalisation, onboarding new publisher partnerships and launching localised community experiences across Southeast Asia, Latin America and beyond. The company aspires to become India’s next billion‑dollar social platform, driven by its mobile‑first architecture and creator‑centric business model.