Mindtail Takes $2 Million to Build Mobile Puzzle Games in Istanbul

APY Ventures has led a $2 million pre-seed round into Mindtail, a mobile games studio based in Istanbul. Inveo Ventures and Ak Portföy GSYF also put money into the round.

Mindtail will use the funds to hire staff, build AI-based production tools, and run early marketing tests. The studio plans to grow its team to around three times its current size in the near term. Its first game is not yet public but will be announced shortly.

A team built on experience in large-scale mobile games

R. Tamer Özgen, Umut Yıldız, Sarper Karabağ, and Doğuşcan Öztürk set up Mindtail to make hybrid casual puzzle games. The studio uses AI tools throughout its production process. Before starting Mindtail, the founders worked in product, growth, and development at Dream Games, King, Tactile, Ace Games, and Codeway. Their past work includes Royal Match, Royal Kingdom, Lily’s Garden, Candy Crush Soda, and the Braindom series — titles that have been played by hundreds of millions of people. Ece Özgüle is Art Director at the studio.

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.