<p><strong>SAN FRANCISCO</strong> &#8212; <a href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&;url=http%3A%2F%2Fjest.com&;esheet=54433775&;newsitemid=20260225524544&;lan=en-US&;anchor=Jest&;index=1&;md5=7e2526f1e1d7c074a1178d8388206d96" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" shape="rect">Jest</a>, a company building the world’s first marketplace for messaging games, has emerged from stealth with $7 million in seed funding led by Innovation Endeavors. The company is also announcing its Jest Games Fund, which offers up to $1 million per title, to accelerate the ecosystem and help developers build the next generation of instant, high-retention titles.</p>
<p>Driven by the rapid global adoption of RCS, Jest uses messaging as a frictionless distribution channel &#8211; positioning it as the first viable challenger to the mobile app store monopoly. Early partners developing for the platform include leading studios such as Pocket Gems (Episode), Global Worldwide (Kingdom Maker), HayHay (Puppy Mansion), Nowwa (Super Snappy Go), HG Point (Piece of Cake), and Dominion Games (Opps).<b><i></i></b></p>
<p>Jest will use its seed funding to scale the platform and onboard the first wave of studios. The company is capitalizing on three massive industry shifts:</p>
<ul class="bwlistdisc">
<li><b>Conversational Interfaces Go Mainstream</b> &#8211; Messaging is no longer just communication &#8211; it’s an interface. From ChatGPT to customer support bots, users have grown accustomed to interacting with technology through chat. Jest builds on this shift by enabling players to discover, play, and stay connected to their favorite games through a conversational surface.</li>
<li><b>The Shift to Instant Experiences</b> &#8211; Modern smartphones, faster 5G networks, and mature web technologies have removed the need for traditional app installs. Players increasingly expect experiences that launch instantly, without downloads or storage costs &#8211; making instant, no-install games a natural evolution of mobile gaming.</li>
<li><b>The Rise of RCS</b> &#8211; RCS is now enabled by default across both Android and iOS, turning the smartphone messaging inbox into a rich, interactive surface. Unlike push notifications &#8211; limited in format, length, and interactivity &#8211; RCS supports persistent, app-like experiences inside a conversation, dramatically expanding what developers can build and how users engage.</li>
</ul>
<p>&#8220;As millions of mobile apps and games compete for new users amid a decline in app store downloads and soaring acquisition costs, it’s increasingly clear that the app store business model is outdated. Messaging is the first open, global distribution channel to offer developers a fundamentally new distribution and engagement model,&#8221; said Deyan Vitanov, CEO and Co-Founder of Jest. “Messaging fundamentally reshapes the retention curve by meeting players where they already are &#8211; in their text threads.”</p>
<p>To seed the next generation of iconic messaging games, Jest is introducing the Jest Games Fund. The fund is designed to support both indie and established studios in building, launching, and scaling messaging game titles, including the adaptation of existing IP for the Jest platform.</p>
<p>The Jest Games Fund supports studios at every stage of franchise development on the Jest platform and has begun deploying $1M for flagship, $200K for promising, and $40K for exploratory titles.</p>
<p>Key benefits for developers building on Jest include:</p>
<ul class="bwlistdisc">
<li><b>Instant Reach: </b>Messaging games launch instantly &#8211; no downloads, no waiting, and no friction between discovery and play.</li>
<li><b>Keep 90% of Revenue:</b> Developers keep 90% of revenue on Jest, with the platform subsidizing 100% of messaging costs &#8211; compared to the 30%+ fees and added distribution costs typical of app stores.</li>
<li><b>Easy to Build: </b>Jest’s SDK turns messaging into a simple API call, handling infrastructure, carrier integrations, compliance, and liability so teams can focus on building great games.</li>
</ul>
<p>“Every major gaming platform has been defined by a new distribution surface,” said Dror Berman, Founder and Managing Partner at Innovation Endeavors. “Jest is opening a new one inside messaging, giving developers direct access to global audiences beyond the app store model.”</p>

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