CrazyGames

TLDR

CrazyGames is a Leuven-based browser gaming platform with 35 million monthly active users and 300 million monthly gameplays, bootstrapped for a decade before raising its first VC round from Smartfin in 2023.

Overview

Raf Mertens founded CrazyGames in 2013 while studying computer science at Stanford. He identified an opportunity when Flash gaming was declining and major platforms like Miniclip and Kongregate pivoted to mobile, leaving a large audience without accessible browser-based games. His brother Tomas co-founded the company initially but left in 2015 to pursue other projects.

CrazyGames operates on an ad-supported model, monetizing through programmatic advertising and in-game purchases via a partnership with Xsolla. The company grew organically for nearly a decade, achieving profitability early and reinvesting revenues to expand the catalog and improve the platform. Year-over-year growth consistently exceeded 100% during the bootstrapped period.

In September 2023, CrazyGames raised its first external capital in an undisclosed venture round led by Belgian growth equity firm Smartfin. By 2024, the platform had reached approximately 35 million monthly active users and facilitated over 300 million gameplays per month across action, puzzle, driving, and multiplayer genres. The company joined the incubator Start it @KBC in 2017.

Key People

• Raf Mertens - Founder and CEO

Funding History

• First external round (September 2023): Smartfin (amount undisclosed)