Mindtail has raised $2 million at pre-seed stage. The Istanbul-based mobile games studio closed the round with APY Ventures as lead investor, joined by Inveo Ventures and Ak Portföy GSYF.
The studio will put the capital to work across three areas: growing its team, developing AI-based production infrastructure, and testing marketing channels. Mindtail targets a near-term team size roughly three times larger than today. The studio’s first game title will be revealed in the coming period.
Hybrid casual puzzle games built for scale from day one
Mindtail was founded by R. Tamer Özgen, Umut Yıldız, Sarper Karabağ, and Doğuşcan Öztürk. The studio makes hybrid casual puzzle games and has built AI tools into its production model from the start. The founding team held hands-on roles at Dream Games, King, Tactile, Ace Games, and Codeway, where they contributed to Royal Match, Royal Kingdom, Lily’s Garden, Candy Crush Soda, and the Braindom series. Those titles have reached hundreds of millions of players in total. Ece Özgüle takes the role of Art Director.
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.
