Product Madness’ Madness Ventures programme is about to finish its first year, and we have had a chat with Tali Tzukerman, the Product Director of Madness Ventures, to take a look back on the program so far.
What is Madness Ventures and how does it differ?
Madness Ventures offers developers of any size with an early stage free-to-play mobile game concept an opportunity to apply for funding, mentorship, and a full program of support to help them release their new game. The scheme has specific criteria that need to be fulfilled – the game must have chance-based core gameplay mechanics, an element of innovation that sets it apart from other games, and have an ambitious vision that can scale globally. If successful, applicants will gain access to funding, marketing support, and more. The program is unique to other incubators in the market due to its specific focus and value-add for games of chance, while also championing team ownership and creativity.
Games of chance are the core strength of Product Madness, and we are thrilled to offer our expertise via our mentorship program.
How has it been so far?
In the year since launching, Madness Ventures has received over 150 applications from all over the world, ranging from solo entrepreneurs to established work-for-hire studios. It’s been great seeing such a varied and diverse selection of teams and projects.
So far, we’ve accepted five projects that have been developing their prototypes with us, and some have already passed their early market testing. We’re looking forward to how they evolve going forward – we have great momentum for the program and hope to see some of these early-stage games make it to the top of the app charts very soon.
PG.biz: What do you look for in developers?
We’re looking for talented and innovative developers and fresh and creative new mobile game ideas that can scale. So it’s important for the teams to really do their research on who their customer is and why they will play their game, and then put together a strong plan to accompany their innovative game vision. That being said, we’re not expecting teams to have all the answers right away. That’s what Madness Ventures is all about – discovering gems and then helping to polish them and recognise their beauty and value.
Want to learn more about Madness Ventures?
Product Director Tali Tzukerman will be guiding teams through the investment process in her talk at White Nights in Istanbul on June 8th. Join Tali to learn all about how to deliver your best pitch. Alternatively, check out the website containing lots of helpful information and tips.