Driffle announced that it has raised $3.4 million in its seed round, which was headed by BEENEXT and other international investors like JAFCO Asia, Taurus Ventures, Better Capital, and White Venture Capital, among others.
Some other notable angel investors that took part in this round included Kunal Shah, Maninder Gulati, Amit Damani, Archana Priyadarshani, and Arun Venkatachalam.
The company, with operations in India, the US, and the UK, is now seeking more employees in Gurgaon to work in product development, engineering, marketing, and customer support to support its expansion.
The team will use the money for product development, hiring, and bolstering its technological infrastructure, which will speed up its expansion into new markets.
The company was founded in 2021 by Chetan Bhardwaj, Gaurav Kumar Jha, Mayank Chawla, and Abhishek Kumar. Their goal was to develop a seamless and secure gaming e-commerce experience after encountering a number of difficulties when buying games.
To fill the lack of local payment options like UPI and debit cards to buy games, the company has created a marketplace where games can be purchased and delivered instantly to the user. They sell a variety of game keys, gift cards and gaming points.
Co-founder and CEO of Driffle, Chetan Bhardwaj, said, “With the ever-evolving digital transformation, today’s customers expect relevant content in relation to what they’re doing anytime, anywhere, and in the format and on the device of their choice. While some people still enjoy the physical shopping experience, many have embraced the simplicity of digital marketplaces, which are faster, more convenient, secure, and, at times, more affordable. This shopping model is especially popular among gamers who transitioned from physical to digital media and are enjoying the shopping experience at digital marketplaces like ours at Driffle.”
“Being a team of gaming enthusiasts, we thoroughly understand the existing gaps in such marketplaces. At Driffle, we enable instant delivery of our goods digitally with simplified payment processes, overcoming the complications of payment fraud and cross-border distribution. We are thrilled to have reputed investors backing us as we expand our presence globally with the aim to make gaming more secure and convenient like never before,” he added.
Anirudh Garg, Investor at BEENEXT, said, “Being a startup built by avid gamers, the Driffle team has identified a significant whitespace within the gaming industry. With their deep passion for problem-solving, the team is addressing customer experience for buying digital goods, which has not been worked upon so far. Driffle offers the industry-demanded revamp and better customer experience for buyers and sellers internationally through their global business model. We are very excited to partner with Driffle and thrilled to witness the company’s exciting products in the pipeline, including their peer-to-peer in-game assets trading marketplace, which has a large market globally.”
While Director & Head of South Asia Investments at JAFCO Asia, Supriya Singh said, “Emerging trends such as the growth of gaming as a category, the rise of digital payments, and the consequent rise in online fraud create a potential white space for a digital goods marketplace like Driffle that has real-time fraud detection in its DNA. With Chetan’s track record and Driffle’s current foundation in place, the co-founders are well-equipped to democratize the gaming experience for many through their 10-second check-out option and local payment integrations.”