Thai gamification startup raises $1.8M series A to keep the games going

Thai gamification startup Playbasis has received US$1.8 million in a series A funding round, the company announced today. The round was led by Thailand’s InVent, a venture capital firm owned by holding company Intouch Holdings, which put in US$1.5 million.

The funding was topped up by Playbasis’ existing investors Cherubic Ventures and 500 Startups. Ardent Capital, an early investor, was not mentioned in this round.

Playbasis specializes in gamifying commercial experiences. It provides business owners with systems such as badges and achievements that are awarded to customers for using the business owner’s services or products. Employers can use it to keep their employees motivated to do certain tasks.

In theory, it motivates users to keep coming back to, say, an ecommerce app to unlock the next badge or achievement. In practice, it gives the business owner or employer access to real-time data that can be used to give her a better understanding of her customers’ behavior. All because of that sweet, sweet endorphin rush.

Gamification has long been used as an engagement tool for users and customers, going back to apps like Foursquare. However, there are detractors who feel that it’s just an empty mechanic that disregards what actually makes a game fun.

Tech in Asia has reached out to Playbasis for more information and we will update this post accordingly.