Qlan operating Social Networking App for Gamers Qlan raises $200K

Indian social networking app Qlan has raised $200,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by Marwah Sports, Faad Network Limited, and CIIE.CO.

According to the startup, the raised capital would be used for further expansion and improved gamer networking, discovery, and content creation features.

Previously, Qlan operated as a self-funded startup and garnered over 100,000 downloads. After undergoing an extensive six-month beta testing phase, the platform officially launched its full version in January 2023.

With a dedicated team of more than 20 professionals, this early-stage startup claims to have attracted a user base of over 50,000 gamers from regions including the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, North and South America, South Africa, and MENA regions. 

Statements:

Sagar Nair, Co-founder, and CEO of Qlan, said, "The pre-seed funding round signifies an exciting new phase for Qlan, and we are delighted to have Marwah Sports, CIIE.CO, and Faad Network as backers. This demonstrates the remarkable potential of Qlan and the burgeoning global gaming and esports industry. While we are grateful for the worldwide validation of Qlan by gamers, our primary objective now is to scale our platform, optimize user experience, and gain deeper insights into our community's needs. With the invaluable support of our investors, we are poised to elevate Qlan to new horizons and empower the ever-expanding global community of gamers."

“Meaningful and engaged communities will form the bedrock of the fledgling Indian and global gaming ecosystem. With Qlan, individuals and organisations can focus on what is most important – retention and engagement. We are encouraged and excited by the progress made by the team – this is only just the beginning!” – Pranav Marwah; CEO - Marwah Sports & Director of Marwah Group.

”Esports in India is witnessing "green shoots" of tailwinds. With the government priming up with recognition, regulatory frameworks should follow suit. Parallelly there is a sharp rise in esports athletes, teams, events, sponsors turning to franchises etc. There will be a need to bridge these facets with a community-driven solution and enable growth. This is where Qlan fits in and would be ripe to tap into what we feel is a sunrise sector in India today.” - Chintan Antani; VP Seed Investing - CIIE.CO.

“India has over 400 million online gamers, with a total market size of over 4 billion dollars. Not only do 90% of these gamers transact, but they also maintain an active social profile to connect with other gamers. This is where we found a fit in Qlan, which is building a comprehensive solution to join gamers and esports enthusiasts. The stellar team understands these gamers' space and pulse and will drive home a scalable business.” – Aditya Arora; CEO – Faad Network Limited.

The development comes during the increased growth of esports in the Indian market. According to the latest research by SkyQuest Technology, the Global Esports Market was valued at USD 1.08 Billion in 2021, and it is expected to reach a value of USD 2.8 Billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 14.50% over the forecast period (2022-2028).

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