Matiks raises $10 million to take Indian brain games to the US

Bengaluru-based Matiks, a social gaming startup built around maths, memory, logic and puzzles, has raised $10 million (about Rs 95.1 crore) in a pre-Series A round led by General Catalyst, according to Indian Startup News. The company plans to use the money to expand abroad, starting with the US, and to build tools that let players create their own brain games. It is a notable bet that competitive mind games can grow into a serious mobile category.

Who is backing Matiks

Besides General Catalyst, upGrad founder Ronnie Screwvala joined the round. Existing investors Info Edge Ventures, Tanglin Venture Partners and Untitled Ventures also took part.

The new round is roughly three times the $3.14 million pre-Series A Matiks raised in August 2025. Total funding now stands at more than $13.5 million. The startup was founded in September 2024 by college friends Sudhanshu Bhatia, Mohan Kumar and Sushant Timmapur. Bhatia comes from competitive mental maths and began working on the idea while at American Express.

What the app does and how it earns

On Matiks, players can face bots or other users, take on challenges and quests, collect points and maintain streaks. They can add friends, and the platform has run weekly contests to keep people coming back.

Growth has come before revenue so far, the report says. Money currently comes from in-game purchases such as challenge skips and XP boosts. This month, Matiks began testing a subscription that unlocks game analysis, tips and tricks, practice and other features.

AI game creation and the US push

A portion of the funds will go into an AI-powered engine that lets users build, publish and share brain games in several formats without writing code. Matiks expects user-made games to widen what is available on the platform. It has already released an experimental version called Jelo, which reportedly competes with tools such as Google's Playground.

Most players are in India today, but the company has seen early engagement in Japan, the US and South Korea. It plans to prioritise the US before other tier-one markets, and reportedly intends to localise the app for Korean and Japanese users. The money will also go into engineering, AI, product, design, game development, growth, creator partnerships and global distribution.

CEO Bhatia said the aim is to make mind sports as culturally relevant as physical sports and esports, giving mental athletes and puzzlers more visibility and recognition.

The market behind it

The report cites Mordor Intelligence, which projects India's gaming market will grow from $5.02 billion in 2026 to $9.89 billion by 2031, a compound annual growth rate of about 14.5%. Mobile made up about 79% of the market in 2025, according to the research firm. A phone-first brain game fits that pattern.

What to watch next

Three things will show whether this round pays off. First, whether the subscription test converts players who have so far mostly paid for small boosts. Second, whether user-generated games from the AI engine bring in new audiences rather than just more content. Third, how Matiks performs once it enters the US and localises for Japan and Korea. For Indian players and organisers, it also adds to the evidence that competitive formats beyond shooters and battle royales can attract serious investment.