Krafton India invests in Bitkraft Ventures' global fund

Krafton India on June 22 announced a strategic investment in US-based early-stage investor Bitkraft Ventures's global fund.

The South Korean gaming giant said this financing builds on its longstanding relationship with Bitkraft Ventures but didn't disclose the investment size.

Through this partnership, Krafton and Bitkraft will back early-stage founders building the next generation of gaming and interactive media experiences, as well as other emerging technology platforms, the company said.

"India’s gaming and consumer AI ecosystem is at a thrilling inflection point, driven by exceptional talent and is now starting to see exits for global investors as well," said Jens Hilgers, founding GP of Bitkraft. "The market is ripe for disruption for global investor with unique local opportunities in early stage and growth opportunities.”

Krafton said the investment will expand access to capital, industry expertise, and international networks for Indian startups, helping them scale faster and compete globally.

It will also help Krafton identify and support high-potential companies early in their growth journey alongside a partner with deep sector knowledge, the company said.

Bitkraft's Global Fund invests in startups from pre-seed to Series A stage, providing founders with capital, operational expertise, and access to a global network of industry leaders. The firm's portfolio in India includes the game development studio Lila Games, AI-powered gaming studio Airoclip, and gaming infra startup GameRamp.

"What stands out about India today is not just the scale of the market, but the quality of entrepreneurs emerging from it. We are seeing founders build with a global mindset from the outset, creating products and technologies that have the potential to resonate far beyond India," said Krafton India CEO Sean Hyunil Sohn.

"Our partnership with Bitkraft Ventures reflects a shared conviction in this new generation of builders and our commitment to supporting them as they create the future of gaming and interactive entertainment.”

Bitkraft-Krafton India connection

Bitkraft, which has over $1 billion in assets under management across six funds, had hired Anuj Tandon to establish its presence in India in December 2024.

Tandon, an industry veteran with over 15 years of experience, previously worked at Krafton India, helping the company build an investment portfolio of local video game, esports and entertainment startups in India, while also playing a role in developing the company's overall market strategy.

In this role, he led investments of more than $135 million in startups including mobile game development studios Nautilus Mobile and Lila Games, audio content platform Kuku FM, esports firm Nodwin Gaming, Indian-language storytelling platform Pratilipi and audio romance and friend discovery startup FRND.

“Indian founders are building for a global consumer in gaming and consumer AI from day one. Our global expertise aligned with Krafton validates the talent pipeline we see on the ground in India," said Tandon, Partner (Emerging Markets).

"This partnership gives us the firepower to provide early-stage builders with the capital and cross-border expertise and validation to win," he added.

Krafton's India investment strategy

In December, Krafton partnered with fellow Korean firms Mirae Asset, a financial services firm, and Naver, an internet conglomerate, to set up a Rs 6,000 crore fund called the Krafton India Unicorn Growth Fund.

The fund is expected to focus on soonicorns, high-growth startups on the verge of reaching unicorn status, across areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), fintech, digital content including gaming, logistics, and other innovation-led sectors.

Last year, Krafton India announced a partnership with IMM Investment, a South Korea-based multi-asset investment firm with nearly $7 billion in assets under management, to become the anchor investor in IMM's maiden India fund.

The IMM India Fund aims to back growth-stage startups in sectors such as consumer brands, consumer tech, software-as-a-service (SaaS), fintech, gaming and media, and deeptech.

Krafton, the maker of the popular battle royale title Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), has also invested over $250 million in Indian startups across interactive entertainment, gaming, esports, and technology since 2021.

The company also operates an India-focused gaming incubator, Krafton India Gaming Incubator (KIGI), to support game developers with funding, mentorship, and strategic guidance.

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