Turkish mobile games studio Mindtail has received $2 million in pre-seed funding. APY Ventures led the round, with Inveo Ventures and Ak Portföy GSYF joining as additional investors.
The studio will channel the funds into team growth, AI-based production tools, and early marketing tests. Mindtail expects to roughly triple its team in the short term. The studio’s debut title remains under wraps but is due to be announced soon.
Founders with direct experience on globally played titles
Mindtail was set up by R. Tamer Özgen, Umut Yıldız, Sarper Karabağ, and Doğuşcan Öztürk. The studio targets the hybrid casual puzzle segment and runs an AI-powered production model. The four founders previously held active product, growth, and development positions at Dream Games, King, Tactile, Ace Games, and Codeway. Their work covers titles including Royal Match, Royal Kingdom, Lily’s Garden, Candy Crush Soda, and the Braindom series, which together have served hundreds of millions of players. Ece Özgüle leads art direction at Mindtail.
Keçeli: “Game production as a capital efficiency game”
APY Ventures Fund Manager Mustafa Keçeli said: “What sets Mindtail apart is a founding philosophy that views game-making not just as a creative discipline, but as a capital efficiency game — where economics, production architecture, and timing align. A team with critical roles in globally successful titles placing AI-native production at the core of the company’s DNA from day one turns the per-iteration economic disadvantage of a hit-driven category into an advantage.”
Inveo Ventures’ Haluk Nişli noted: “Mindtail’s track record of working together, depth in product and growth, and rapid prototyping culture reflect what differentiating studios need in this new era. We’re proud to be among the first investors to back this newly founded studio.”
Ak Portföy GSYF’s Hüseyin Çelik added: “Mindtail stands out with its internationally proven founding team and AI-driven production approach. Türkiye’s recent billion-dollar exits clearly demonstrate the ecosystem’s global potential, and we believe Mindtail will be a major player as the AI transformation accelerates.”
Özgen: “Aiming to set a new standard”
Mindtail Co-Founder and CEO R. Tamer Özgen said: “This round is the moment our collective experience materializes. We aim to combine what we’ve learned from products serving hundreds of millions of players with an AI-native production model to set a new standard in hybrid casual puzzle. We’ve also created a meaningful option pool for those joining us — founder-employee alignment from day one is a top priority.”
About Mindtail
An Istanbul-based mobile gaming studio building hybrid casual puzzle games with an AI-native production model.