APY VENTURES LEADS $2 MILLION ROUND INTO ISTANBUL GAMES STUDIO MINDTAIL

Mindtail, a mobile games studio founded in Istanbul, has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding. APY Ventures led the round, with Inveo Ventures and Ak Portföy GSYF participating.

The studio will put the money towards hiring new staff, developing AI-based production infrastructure, and carrying out early marketing tests. Mindtail is targeting a team roughly three times its current size in the short term. The studio’s first game will be announced soon.

Hybrid casual puzzle games with AI tools at the centre of production

Mindtail was founded by R. Tamer Özgen, Umut Yıldız, Sarper Karabağ, and Doğuşcan Öztürk. The studio focuses on hybrid casual puzzle games and runs an AI-powered production model. The founders previously worked at Dream Games, King, Tactile, Ace Games, and Codeway. In those roles, they contributed to Royal Match, Royal Kingdom, Lily’s Garden, Candy Crush Soda, and the Braindom series — titles with a combined player base of hundreds of millions. Ece Özgüle takes on 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.