Gaming
Stan teams up with Fancraze to revolutionise cricket fandom
MUMBAI: Gaming community startup Stan, backed by Nazara, has announced a strategic partnership with Fancraze, the creator of ICC Crictos Superteam. This collaboration will integrate Fancraze’s licensed digital collectibles from the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Stan’s interactive community-driven platform, offering cricket enthusiasts an innovative way to engage with the sport.
This first-of-its-kind alliance will provide fans with dynamic experiences, including live audio rooms, influencer-led communities, quests, and VIP events. By blending digital ownership with interactive social elements, the partnership aims to deepen fans’ connection to cricket through exclusive and immersive activities.
Stan founder & CEO Parth Chadha stated, “Cricket and gaming are more than just entertainment in India—they are a way of life. At Stan, we have built India’s largest online gaming community, and our collaboration with Fancraze will create an electrifying hub where users can play, compete, and celebrate cricket like never before. This will bring fans closer to the action, excitement, and rewards in an unprecedented way.”
Fancraze founder & CEO Anshum Bhambri added, “We are thrilled to join forces with Stan to introduce a fresh and innovative experience for our users. By merging digital ownership with social gamification, we are elevating fandom to new heights. This partnership is a significant step towards creating a more interactive and immersive space for cricket enthusiasts.”
This collaboration marks a new era in cricket fan engagement, leveraging technology to transform the way supporters connect with the game and its players.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
