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  • “At STAN we are building communities for everyone”: Parth Chadha

    “At STAN we are building communities for everyone”: Parth Chadha

    Mumbai: STAN, headquartered in Bengaluru, is one of the fastest-growing gaming startups. The platform is having the largest gaming community in Asia with over 4M gamers onboarded. STAN’s goal is to create an ecosystem for gamers where every victory matters, where rewards are more than just tokens – they’re the embodiment of dedication and prowess, and these gamers find a sense of belongingness.

    Recently, STAN reached a significant milestone in its journey, securing a remarkable $2.7 million in Pre-Series A round funding. This investment, spearheaded by their partner General Catalyst, along with esteemed new investors including Aptos Labs, Pix Capital, Maelstrom Fund, and GFR Fund, underscores the unwavering belief in their vision to redefine gaming experiences. India’s gaming ecosystem is undergoing a renaissance of unparalleled magnitude. With 500 million active gamers, 200 million enthusiasts, three million monthly transactions, 5500K MAU, and 650k+ DAU, ready to elevate their experiences, STAN has also been part of various leading events across the world – Abu Dhabi – Token 2049 – Premium Crypto event being the latest event. STAN has disbursed over 30 Lakhs worth of rewards to its engaged audience.

    India has always been a mobile gaming first nation unlike other countries. Driven by the widespread embrace of smartphones and expanded internet access, India’s gaming sector has experienced rapid growth, drawing in a diverse audience. The accessibility of budget-friendly smartphones and affordable mobile data has been pivotal in propelling the popularity of mobile gaming across various demographics. India has surpassed the US and Brazil in terms of mobile downloads. India has 568 million online gamers. Despite the number being great, the gaming industry has always felt a void in terms of people not knowing the right career opportunities.

    The rise of online gaming has not only captivated millions but also catalysed economic growth, employing over 100,000 skilled professionals in 2023 alone. As we gaze into the horizon, the sector is poised to generate over 250,000 more jobs in the coming decade, heralding a new era of prosperity and innovation.

    With gaming influencers on the rise and various sources of income open to them, Indiantelevision.com caught up with STAN co-founder Parth Chadha where he explained how the Indian gaming industry has gone on a different trajectory.

    Edited excerpts

    On elaborating STAN’s vision for creating an ecosystem where every victory carries profound significance, going beyond mere tokens to embody dedication and prowess

    STAN aims to celebrate every win, ensuring it resonates beyond the game itself. Our brand works on this vision through key features such as interactive and social games where game enthusiasts can play, chat, and win in a dynamic environment that celebrates victories socially, fostering community engagement for game enthusiasts. By allowing users to interact with their favorite gaming creators and discover new groups, STAN guarantees each victory is shared. Playing with favorite creators amplifies enthusiasm and provides status, allowing gamers to have interaction and compete along famous gaming creators.

    On planning to capitalize on this burgeoning market to redefine gaming experiences with India’s gaming sector experiencing unprecedented growth and boasting a massive user base

    As the Indian gaming sector is witnessing phenomenal growth with a massive user base, STAN plans to capitalize on this emerging market by redefining gaming experiences through multiple platforms. There is a significant white space in the market where gamers seek life experiences and communities that facilitate meaningful connections with like-minded individuals in addition to seeking guidance from senior gamers from where they can learn from them and grow.

    STAN aims to meet this need by bringing together all stakeholders, and providing an environment that supports social networking, mentoring and skills development. By creating a platform where players can interact, compete, and collaborate with each other and their favorite gamers, we ensure a seamless and smooth gaming experience. This approach not only enhances the game journey for users, but also creates a win-win situation for all participants in the ecosystem, and ultimately redefines the game experience.

    On sharing insights into the recent milestone of securing $2.7 million in Pre-Series A round funding

    STAN recently reached a milestone by raising $2.7 million in Pre-Series A funding from major investors such as Aptos Labs, Pix Capital, Maelstrom Fund, GFR Fund, and General Catalyst. The recent funding from The New Capital, led by General Catalyst with participation from Better Capital and Eximius Ventures, will be strategically utilized to enhance our business. This investment will allow us to provide gamers with advanced tools to develop and monetize their content. These enhancements include digital collections, chat, social communities, and celebrity exclusives. This funding will allow STAN to continue to innovate and expand, ultimately providing a rich and enjoyable experience for our users.

    On synergies you anticipate from General Catalyst

    Having strong partners and investors like General Catalyst and Better Capital on board will further enhance STAN’s aspirations to create a superior fan experience and drive growth at various levels. As General Catalyst’s first Web3/Crypto investment in India, we expect valuable synergies, including strategic direction, improved reliability, and greater productivity, all of which will accelerate the development and expansion of our platform.

    On differentiating yourself in a crowded gaming market, particularly amidst the rise of mobile gaming and increased competition

    STAN differentiates itself in the crowded gaming market by being a user-friendly platform akin to Discord, tailored specifically for India and emerging markets. Our mobile-first design ensures gamers can connect anywhere with cutting-edge technology. STAN facilitates friendships and gaming groups, helping players find like-minded individuals, and rewards them for their contributions, enhancing their experience. We empower creators with global reach, specialized tools, and insights for audience engagement. Additionally, STAN supports developers with effective go-to-market strategies and user testing for game refinement, while offering brands access to a global gaming community, tools for monetizable communities, and actionable insights for strategic decisions.

    On collaborations with Chill gamers and participation in leading global events

    STAN offers any creator to build his community on STAN where it’s not just a mere community for a creator but also offers PR, Branding, and any help that they might need to progress as a creator. For example, STAN helped Arun aka Achanak Bayanak Gaming and Chill Gamer to get into Bigg Boss and PlayGround respectively. Our branding in the gaming and entertainment space is well known, we leverage this to get brand deals, networks, and opportunities for our creators

    On opportunities you offer for aspiring gamers in terms of early monetisation and community building

    For those who want to create, STAN offers opportunities to monetize quickly and build community. While our main focus has been on enhancing the user experience and maximizing integrated game design, we have also prioritized enabling monetization and rewards for both users and creators. Our efforts have resulted in a significant increase in gross collection by over 10x. Recognizing the challenges creators face in monetizing their content in the Indian market, we aim to tap into the creator supply, helping them grow their fanbase and monetize from Day 1.

    On catering to the evolving preferences and needs of  audience

    At STAN we are building communities for everyone. There are many female gamers on STAN and we see this number grow every day. Few dedicated communities on STAN cater to female audiences’ needs on the platform. There are several clubs and tournaments dedicated to females on STAN.  We are also expanding our creator program to focus on female audiences and creators as well

    On STAN’s plans for further expansion, innovation, and enriching the gaming experience for its users

    Looking ahead, STAN plans to further expand and innovate by building a comprehensive companion application for gamers in emerging markets. We aim to provide unprecedented experiences and solutions to their issues. By bringing all stakeholders in the gaming ecosystem together on one platform, we strive to create a win-win situation for everyone involved. Currently hosting 10,000 creators, we target to reach 100,000 in the next six months, enriching the gaming experience for our users.

  • Clubhouse for android to arrive in India this Friday

    Clubhouse for android to arrive in India this Friday

    KOLKATA: Android users in India can finally come out of Clubhouse FOMO as the invite-only audio chat is debuting on Friday, after a week it launched the beta version in the US.

    As the start-up’s android expansion continues, it will roll out in Japan, Brazil, Russia on Tuesday, followed by India and Nigeria on Friday. However, it will remain invite-only both on android and iOS despite the mass rollout. “Globe with meridians Rest of world throughout the week, and available worldwide by Friday afternoon,” the tweet added.

    While it has taken its home market by storm with top Silicon-valley execs, popular Hollywood stars, artists jumping on the bandwagon, its impact in India is still very limited with less than a lakh iOS users. This move could be critical in the Indian expansion as the market has a lion’s share of android users, despite the increasing footprint of iPhones in India.

    The development comes at a time when the download numbers have plateaued. Globally its downloads peaked in February with 9.6 million downloads. However, it has gradually come down to 9 lakh downloads in April, as per Sensor Tower data.

    The app saw 42,000 in February followed by 20,000 in March and 14,000 downloads in April in India – a gradual decline.

     

     

    In a tweet, the company said it is working on feature parity with iOS for android users. Earlier this year, the app revealed its plans to launch in India. Clubhouse is now facing stiff competition in the category as Twitter has rolled out its Spaces on a larger scale, Facebook is also working on a live audio chat feature.

    Adoption, penetration can be of a lesser challenge for the audio-based social apps compared to acceptance and usage which will be driven by content on the platforms, a senior digital market executive said earlier.

    “The good thing about this period is that it has shown us how universal voice is as a medium. The same types of rooms that we saw forming last year in the U.S. quickly started forming in Japan, Brazil, and Nigeria. Farmers in rural Georgia have been making friends with entrepreneurs in Tanzania. Film clubs have formed in India,” the company stated in a recent blog post along with examples of many other communities.

    Throughout this period, it felt the need to be cross-platform more strongly than ever, the company added.

  • Will social audio apps like Clubhouse make it big in India?

    Will social audio apps like Clubhouse make it big in India?

    KOLKATA: Audio-chat app Clubhouse has raced ahead in the last few months, especially it has gained more momentum after its Elon Musk moment. The Tesla CEO’s debut on the platform has not only maxed its craze but has thrown limelight on a new rage in the social media ecosystem. While emerging social apps based on audio chat are knocking on the door, established platforms are also making strides in the segment.

    What is the ‘Clubhouse’ frenzy?

    The invitation-only social media app Clubhouse has found takers in silicon valley investors, venture capitalists, tech executives, artists, musicians, TV presenters. Even before reaching its first anniversary, the company had amassed close to 10 million users and reached a valuation of $1 billion. Given the buzz the San-Francisco based app has generated in the international markets, it’s no surprise that a number of prominent faces in India are also jumping on the bandwagon.

    Another app which offered live voice chats way before Clubhouse is Discord, a niche platform popular among gamers. The app, boasting over 100 million monthly active users, secured $100 million in funding last year and is positioning itself as mainstream with the new tagline – “Your place to talk.” After it saw massive growth in voice users, it started to emphasise heavily on the voice chat feature. According to media reports, tech giant Microsoft is in the running to acquire Discord, in a transaction pegged at $10 billion. It is one of the most popular apps among the booming gaming community of India.

    The bottom line is that Clubhouse and Discord are relatively lesser-known names in our 1.3 billion-strong nation. However, social media platforms that have already made headway in the mass Indian market like Twitter, Facebook are investing big time to take on these emerging apps.

    “Audio-based apps are liberating for the user as it allows users to multitask than any other media out there. You can drive, text, run or do your chores while dropping in to listen to Elon Musk,” Tonic Worldwide chief strategy officer Unmisha Bhatt says.

    Will Indians adopt this global trend?

    The Indian digital ecosystem has kept up with all new global trends so far. No doubt the charm of something new will onboard users initially, but Mirum India joint CEO Sanjay Mehta is sceptical about the sustainable growth of audio based social media apps.

    He notes that the overall audio segment, as well as voice technology, is a high growth area in terms of consumption of content and creation of audio content. When it comes to apps like Clubhouse, the structure being used there is almost similar for all. Under the open discussion format, if any user just walks into a chatroom, one cannot be sure that the content they will get access to will be valuable. It leads to appointment listening – that is, joining the chats at the time when a particular well-known person is speaking on a topic of interest.

    According to Mehta, the concept of appointment consumption does not work well in a busy life. Hence, he is of the view that these apps will have limited value if the structure does not change. To have long-term growth compared to established social media players, the template or format needs to change.

    Isobar India COO Gopa Kumar also says that audio as a platform has been well accepted in India overall, giving examples of Gaana, Saavn, and Spotify. Which is why apps like Clubhouse will also see good uptake in India. Moreover, these audio-based social apps give users a certain kind of privacy. People can actually move around at their disposal and still interact, he explains.

    The reason users are receptive to audio is because they can consume content on the go as well, observes Kumar. But in the end, it’s the nature of the platform and the kind of content it puts out that makes all the difference. And since social audio apps is still a very niche segment, Kumar says it is too soon to judge if it can turn into a mass medium.

    “The growth of Clubhouse has been fuelled by high profile early adopters. With celebrities and Silicon Valley leaders leading the early adoption, users discovered and flocked to the app. Since these are live conversation apps, the audience consumption has been skewed towards quality content by well-known creators. For it to succeed in India, it would need a similar pattern. Mainstream content creators, celebrities and film folks would bring in the masses, otherwise, it will remain a niche product in India,” Bhatt adds.

    Moreover, India being a multilingual country has its own challenges. IdeateLabs founder and managing director Amit Tripathi is of the view that adoption in India might struggle until voice and vernacular marries. Video on the back of visuals and subtitles make it easier to be consumed in unknown or little known languages but audio does not stand that chance. So, regional content needs to be on platforms like Clubhouse to make them successful.

    How are big tech giants gearing up their efforts?

    Twitter announced a new voice chat room called Spaces last November. The microblogging network rolled out the feature gradually for some of its users globally, including India. It plans to make it available for all users in April so they can “Tweet and Talk”.

    Internal teams at Facebook are reportedly developing a product similar to Clubhouse to catch up with the trend. Notably, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg himself appeared on Clubhouse in February to talk about augmented/virtual reality. Messaging app Telegram that rose to fame in India after the WhatsApp privacy policy controversy has launched Voice Chats 2.0 that lets channels conduct live voice chat sessions with unlimited participants.

    With so many dollars being pumped into social voice features by these deep-pocket players, it will be interesting to see how this space evolves, Tripathi adds. He points out that adoption, penetration can be of a lesser challenge for the audio-based social apps compared to acceptance and usage which will be driven by content on the platforms.

    “Without proper content, customisation, a lot of education, I am not sure how far it will grow, how fast it will grow,” Tripathi sums up.

    Will brands jump on the bandwagon?

    Brands are already experimenting on Clubhouse to cash in on the craze. Isobar’s Kumar says that it is tough to project what kind of advertising opportunities will open up in the future, though he mentions that brands can open their own chat rooms and engage with consumers.

    “Brands will have to wear a creators hat to explore opportunities on these apps. For the right brand – one that’s willing to curate quality content and truly add value – there's an early mover opportunity. But these are early days and as adoption grows, we will see interest from brands,” Bhatt concludes.