In its sharpest pivot so far, the company has doubled down on gaming commerce, helping it clock $10 million ( ₹82 crore) in revenue in 2024-25, a 120% year-on-year jump. Almost 70% of that revenue came from users, not advertisers. At the heart of this transformation is Rooter Shop, an in-app marketplace that allows gamers to buy virtual currencies, gift cards, and gaming vouchers. In just six months since its launch, Rooter Shop has emerged as the fastest-growing revenue channel for the platform. “The launch of Rooter Shop marks a defining moment for us. We’ve moved from just being a streaming platform to becoming a content-to-commerce company,” said Piyush Kumar, chief executive and co-founder. The platform has scaled multiple user monetisation streams in addition to its existing brand and publisher deals. But the pivot came with tough calls. The company pulled back on aggressive growth, cut costs, and reoriented its strategy towards sustainable monetisation. Since its previous fundraising round nearly two years ago, Rooter says it has reduced its cash burn by over 80%. Losses dropped 63% in FY25. “We decided not to chase top-line growth blindly. We focused on stabilising monetisation before expanding again,” Kumar said. Rooter has so far raised $37 million in primary capital from investors across India, the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia. According to the company, its annualised revenue run rate—a 12-month projection based on current revenues—is at $24 million (about ₹205 crore). The company is targeting a gross merchandise value (GMV, or total sales without factoring in discounts and other expenses) run rate of $90 million by March 2026, up from $24 million in March this year. Rooter has more than 85 million registered users, with paying users spending around ₹2,400 per month on average. “Gaming in India is becoming a leisure spend category. Our users, often young adults, have meaningful disposable income and are willing to invest in digital goods,” Kumar said. Also read | Nazara & Friends: Why Nitish Mittersain wants cash for his M&A trainRiding India’s gaming waveIndia’s gaming industry is experiencing rapid growth, driven by a young, tech-savvy population, affordable smartphones, and widespread internet access. According to a report by UnlistedIntel, the country boasts over 500 million active gamers, with about 138 million willing to pay for premium services. Key growth drivers for India’s gaming market include increased smartphone usage, low data costs, and the ease of digital payments via UPI. However, challenges such as regulatory ambiguities, content localization, and taxation concerns persist. Despite these hurdles, the sector presents significant opportunities for investors, developers, and consumers alike, as the ecosystem matures and focuses on creating innovative, immersive gaming experiences tailored to India’s diverse audien in a formal or creative style for better SEO.Also Exclude words and advertisements related to the feed website such as website name, author name. You must only respond with the modified content. Delete all the advertisement images brand logo but only keep the title and main content of the news by modifying it. You must only respond with the modified content. Block any jump outside of the site adarshnews.com. Basically remove any content or link related to original site. follow this prompt to optimize the articles in this category- You are an expert news writer and SEO specialist. Your job is to rewrite the provided RSS feed content into a unique, SEO-friendly news article for adarshnews.com. 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This startup is hoping for success on its third attempt as it aims to capitalize on the booming gaming market in India.
