Grand Games, the Istanbul-based mobile gaming company and one of Turkey’s fastest-growing startups, today announces that it has raised a $70m Series B funding round, bringing total funding raised by the company to $103m. Grand’s valuation, which is closing in on unicorn status, has increased ~6x since its previous round a little over 12 months ago, with only single-digit dilution.
Investor Backing and Growth Momentum
The round is led by Balderton Capital’s Growth Fund who are doubling down on their Early Stage Fund’s Series A investment in January last year. Existing investors Bek Ventures and Laton Ventures are also following on, as well as the mobile gaming serial entrepreneur and exited founder, Mert Gür, as an angel investor.
Building the Next Generation of Mobile Games
Founded with the ambition to challenge industry norms and set new standards in mobile gaming, Grand builds high-quality, accessible hybrid casual mobile games designed for daily play with fast session times. While much of the industry has historically focused on saturated genres, Grand was an early mover in hybrid casual puzzle games, combining underserved mechanics with premium execution and in-depth game design.
The raise comes at a time of serious momentum for Grand, which has rapidly emerged as one of Turkey’s fastest growing startups. Having experienced 5x year-over-year revenue growth, scaling from an already significant base, Grand has now raised three rounds in just two years since its founding, with its Series B coming a little over 12 months after its Series A.
Talent Strategy and Studio Model
Grand’s distinct approach to talent sits at the heart of the company’s strategy. As Turkey has become a global hub for mobile gaming, Grand has built its model around empowering that talent, with ownership embedded into how teams operate from day one. Decision-making sits with the teams building the games, supported by the founding team. Combined with Grand’s multi-studio model of currently five autonomous studios, this enables fast, high-quality execution at scale.
Bekir Batuhan Çelebi (a.k.a. Batu), CEO and Co-Founder of Grand Games said: “We started Grand to build the kind of company we believed could unlock the full potential of great talent. Turkey has produced some of the best mobile gaming talent in the world, and we wanted to create an environment where that talent has real ownership over decisions, product direction, and outcomes.
At Grand, the people building the games are at the centre of everything we do, with the founding team supporting them when needed. Our mission from day one has been to set a new standard not just for the games themselves, but for how a gaming company operates.”
Expanding Global Reach
Grand currently has six live games (following two new recent launches), and a team of approximately 75 people based in Istanbul. Two of its titles - Magic Sort and Block Out - recently ranked #1 and #2 on the US iOS most downloaded games chart. The company has also surpassed 50 million total downloads to date, with its games being played in more than 200 countries. With the entire team based in Istanbul, this epitomises a deliberate focus on building in one of the world’s most dynamic gaming talent markets.
The fresh capital will primarily be used to accelerate marketing efforts, enabling Grand to not only scale its existing games, but also to support a strong pipeline of upcoming releases. Batu added: “This funding allows us to scale our games to more players, continue our hiring spree, and showcase the fact that the next generation of category-defining mobile gaming companies are being built here in Turkey.”
Investor Perspectives
Rana Yared, Partner, at Balderton said: "We've been working closely with Grand over the past year, witnessing the team's execution, culture, and product differentiation firsthand. Having invested in the mobile gaming space for many years, we know what exceptional teams look like in this category, and Grand is unquestionably one. It was an easy decision for us to double down on our investment. Our conviction in what Batu, Mehmet, Mustafa, and the team are building is stronger than ever."
Görkem Turk at Laton Ventures said: “Grand is defining the new chapter of the mobile gaming industry. Building a successful hit game is difficult, but creating a platform by doing this repeatedly is truly exceptional. What Grand has achieved is unmatched. We feel privileged to be a continuing investor in this generational company and to have been working so closely with them since their inception.”