WinZO raises $65 mn in Series C round, led by Griffin Gaming Partners

WinZO, the gaming and entertainment platform, has raised $65 million in a Series C funding round, led by California-based Griffin Gaming Partners, taking the total tally of capital raised by the company to $90 million. Griffin is making its first-ever investment in India in WinZO. This financing follows only eight months after the company raised its Series B from returning investors Makers Fund, Courtside Ventures, and Steve Pagliuca, Co-Chairman of Bain Capital. Phil Sanderson, Co-Founder of Griffin Gaming Partners, will join WinZO’s board of directors.

“With this raise, we plan to grow much faster and become an even more lovable product for our consumers,” said Paavan Nanda, co-founder, WinZO. “WinZO is poised and strategically well-positioned to be one of the first 'Made in India' products that will rule the world in coming years."

With a focus on competitive multiplayer gaming experiences, WinZO’s mission is to create a culturally relevant mobile games platform with broad-based adoption. WinZO seeks to position itself at the forefront of Indian gaming culture with an expansive influencer network catering to more than 50 million registered users. The platform is currently offered in 12 languages, unlocking demographics that have historically gone underserved.

“We are excited to make Griffin Gaming Partners’ first investment in India backing WinZO, the company behind the largest social gaming app in the country,” said Nick Tuosto, co-founder, of Griffin Gaming Partners and managing director and head of Gaming at LionTree. “The company is led by best-in-class management with an extraordinary product vision. We saw in WinZO’s games incredible retention and monetization metrics we believe set the company up for continued explosive growth and are proud to support the team on the journey.”

WinZO which was established in 2018 said it has grown its revenues tenfold over the last 12 months. It has partnered with over 100 leading game developers to realize the full potential of the Indian mobile gaming market through in-game integration of WinZO’s social gaming framework.  

“WinZO’s growth is a testament to the value the company is unlocking in the Indian market,” said Michael Cheung, General Partner, Makers Fund. “We are excited to continue to support WinZO and their leadership team who combine expertise and unique local insights with a strong vision to grow the Indian games and entertainment sector.”