Today marks a major milestone for Jest.
We’re officially emerging from stealth with $7 million in seed funding led by Innovation Endeavors, and launching the world’s first marketplace for messaging games - along with the Jest Games Fund, which will deploy up to $1 million per title to accelerate the ecosystem.
Our Bet: Messaging Is the Next Major Distribution Channel
From day one, Jest has been built on a simple belief: messaging is no longer just communication - it’s becoming a new distribution surface for software.
Over the past few years, consumers have grown used to chatting with technology. We ask questions, resolve customer support issues, collaborate, and increasingly interact with AI in chat. Conversation has quickly become the default interaction model for software.
At the same time, the infrastructure beneath messaging has evolved. What began as static SMS threads now includes rich media, buttons, structured content, and verified branded identities. With the global rollout of RCS - now supported across both Android and iOS - messaging has crossed a critical threshold. For the first time, there is a universal standard that enables persistent, app-like experiences directly inside a conversation.
As RCS adoption accelerates toward 3.8 billion daily active users, that capability becomes global by default. The inbox is no longer just a communication tool - it’s one of the largest programmable surfaces in the world.
We believe every major software category will be rebuilt for this messaging-first world. We’re building Jest for this inflection point - starting with the largest category in the app store: gaming.
Introducing Jest: the Marketplace for Messaging Games
To bring this shift to life, we’ve built Jest.com - the world’s first marketplace for messaging games.
For the first time, developers can leverage messaging as a primary distribution surface for games. The Jest platform abstracts away the complexity of carrier integrations, compliance, and messaging infrastructure - enabling instant launch and persistent engagement directly inside conversations.
Over the past four months, we’ve been operating in private beta with a select group of launch partners, including Pocket Gems (Episode), Global Worldwide (Kingdom Maker), HayHay (Puppy Mansion), Nowwa (Super Snappy Go), HG Point (Piece of Cake), and Dominion Games (Opps).
As we shared in One Million Proofs, based on more than 1 million messaging games played, we’re already seeing early results that demonstrate the promise of messaging games:
- 35-60% lower user acquisition costs (measured as mobile app CPI - cost per install vs messaging app CPS - cost per texting subscriber)
- 3-4x higher D7 retention compared to mobile app versions
These are early numbers - but the signal is clear:
Messaging is an untapped distribution channel with structurally lower acquisition costs than the hyper-competitive mobile app store ecosystem. And messaging games reshape the retention curve by living inside the stickiest surface on mobile: the messaging inbox.
Announcing the Jest Games Fund
A new platform needs more than infrastructure. It needs breakout titles.
That’s why, alongside the launch of the marketplace, we’re introducing the Jest Games Fund - a capital commitment to help pioneer the messaging games category.
The fund operates as a progression model, supporting teams as they test, prove, and expand what works on Jest.
Explore - up to $40K
The starting point for most teams. Explore supports experimentation - testing ideas, validating mechanics, and learning what resonates inside messaging. This is how new platforms are built.
Scale - up to $200K
Games that show strong performance on Jest - retention, engagement, and efficient acquisition - can advance into Scale. At this stage, teams invest behind real traction and begin building sustainable growth.
Flagship - up to $1M
For titles that demonstrate breakout potential. At this stage, teams are building enduring franchises for the messaging era - whether that’s established studios bringing major IP to Jest or creators doubling down on a proven hit.
The goal isn’t to fund isolated experiments - it’s to discover winners and grow alongside them. Messaging games are still early, and the defining genres and mechanics will emerge from teams willing to build at the frontier.
When developers win, so do we.
Learn More
If you’re curious about messaging games - or interested in building on Jest - we’d love to connect.
For those coming to San Francisco for GDC (March 9-13), we’re hosting two in-person opportunities:
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Join us at the Jest Developer Luncheon on March 10 to meet the team and learn more about the future of messaging games. Space is limited.
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Prefer a smaller setting? We’re offering a limited number of 1:1 meetings during GDC week.
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Not in San Francisco? You can also schedule a virtual 1:1 with the team in the weeks following GDC.
We’re building the messaging games ecosystem from the ground up — and we’d love to pioneer it with you.
We believe this is a once-in-a-generation platform shift. Join us in building it.