Tapjoy starts fund to invest in Australian developers

Tapjoy, the mobile advertising and publishing platform, has announced it will invest in Australian app developers. The San Francisco company has created its Tapjoy Australia Fund and made its first investment in a game studio called Defiant Development.

Tapjoy will dedicate resources and expertise toward fostering the burgeoning app-developer economy down under. Tapjoy, whose platform is used in 97,000 apps, plans to invest in iOS and Android developers and give them marketing and distribution support and money.

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“The Australian development community is one of the hottest, up-and-coming talent pools in the mobile space,” said Chris Akhavan, the senior vice president of global partnerships at Tapjoy, in a statement. “We want to offer them the tools, consultation, and resources necessary to bring their apps to market, reach a global audience, and monetize effectively. Through the Tapjoy Australia Fund, we are reinforcing our commitment to the outstanding Australian-based mobile development talent.”

Developers can apply via Tapjoy’s site.

“Tapjoy’s reach and experience in the free-to-play space will be invaluable for our developer community,” said Antony Reed, the chief executive officer for Game Developer Association of Australia. “They are the market leaders and have the insights and distribution power needed to succeed on mobile today. With the help of Tapjoy’s marketing strength and free-to-play consulting experience, as well as Australia’s $20 million Interactive Games Fund, Australia’s indie developers will find the road to success a little less bumpy.”

Tapjoy’s ad and monetization platform enables users to select personalized ads to view in exchange for earning virtual rewards in games or apps. Users on more than a billion devices can watch videos, subscribe to services, install apps, and participate in other ads to obtain them.

“We’re excited that Tapjoy is focusing specifically on Australian developers with their new fund,” said Morgan Jaffit, the co-founder of Defiant Development, the first studio to be accepted to the Tapjoy Australia Fund. “There’s an incredible depth of indie talent in Australia, and Tapjoy offers an ideal way to monetize their applications and take advantage of the free-to-play opportunities in the mobile market. It’s very forward-thinking to focus on enabling Australian developers to reach further with their games, and it helps to take the UA and monetization questions that all developers are tackling at the moment. I can’t wait to see what comes from the collaboration.”

Tapjoy’s backers include J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Rho Ventures, North Bridge Venture Partners, InterWest Partners, and D.E. Shaw Ventures.