What Bug Lab Tekmer does

BUG Lab Tekmer (operating as BUG Lab TEKMER) is a Turkey-based technology development center and gaming-sector incubator headquartered in Beyoğlu, Istanbul, at Bahçeşehir University. It was established in 2012 as BUG Lab (Bahçeşehir University Game Laboratory), combining academic programs in game design (Master's in Game Design and Bachelor's in Digital Game Design) with KOSGEB-backed incubation services for game-industry startups. The entity operates a two-tier accelerator: the LVL-1 Pre-Incubation Program (a 6-month cohort offering free workspace at BAU Galata, structured training, industry mentorship, and a culminating Demo Day for early-stage teams) and the LVL-2 Incubation Program (offering subsidized office space, legal and PR support, investor and publisher brokerage, and R&D incentive facilitation for more mature teams).

The institution serves early-stage Turkish game studios and gaming-adjacent startups, currently supporting 18+ pre-incubation teams (e.g., Archaic, Diabolical Studios, Exol Entertainment, Moonflake Studio, Pendulum Interactive) and 12+ incubation-stage companies (e.g., Arkerobox, Blackburne Games, Bucked Games, Cultic Games, Studio Gamebit, Gedev, Locpick, Neptune Dijital, Steelion Studios, Vardiya), with 11+ graduates to date (Artha, Ashina, Dragon, Bright, Icon, Triant, Juicy, Mindeck, Moonsurf, Nightbytes, Seven). Its underlying service infrastructure is human- and network-mediated rather than technology-mediated: workspace provision, mentor matching (17+ named industry professionals), event programming (Demo Day, Gaming Istanbul / GIST), and brokerage to publishers and investors are delivered through the KOSGEB-Bahçeşehir partnership rather than a proprietary technology platform.

Its business model is a subsidized, grant-funded professional-services structure rather than a commercial product business. KOSGEB provides government funding and TEKMER designation; Bahçeşehir University provides academic infrastructure, workspace at BAU Galata, and student talent from its BUG Lab programs. The LVL-1 program is free to accepted teams; the LVL-2 program offers subsidized office space. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and revenue figures are not reported, consistent with the institution behaving as a state-aligned innovation intermediary rather than a revenue-generating entity. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led: annual program application cycles, public Demo Day presentations to investor networks, and active presence on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Customer concentration is structurally long-tail — many small startup tenants rather than a few large anchors — with portfolio outcomes (Gedev's 11M+ downloads, Blackburne Games' international publishing deal via AD Gaming, Steelion Studios' Microsoft FoundersHub membership) serving as case studies.

Name

Bug Lab Tekmer

Legal name

BUG Lab TEKMER

Website

https://buglab.ist

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BUG Lab TEKMER is a Turkey-based gaming-sector technology development center and incubator, operating from Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul with KOSGEB backing. It runs an annual LVL-1 Pre-Incubation program (6 months, free) and an LVL-2 Incubation program (subsidized office, investor brokerage) for early-stage game startups, currently serving 30+ portfolio teams across its pipeline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gaming Industry Startup Incubation

NAICS

Computer Training (611420), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Makerspace, Innovation Lab & Fab Lab Operations (Tools, Safety, Programming) (EDAEAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Game Development (Unity, Unreal, 2D/3D) (EDAMACAE)

Keywords

• Gaming startup incubator
• Pre-incubation program
• Game development mentorship
• Startup acceleration services
• Gaming industry incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Beyoglu

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Incubation Program Support: BUG Lab TEKMER combines support from KOSGEB (Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization) with academic resources from Bahçeşehir University to provide subsidized incubation services. The Pre-Incubation program is free for accepted teams, suggesting government/academic funding model rather than revenue-generating operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bug Lab Tekmer is a technology development center and gaming industry incubator based at Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, operating two structured programs: the 6-month LVL-1 Pre-Incubation (free workspace, training, mentorship, Demo Day) and the LVL-2 Incubation (office space, legal/PR support, investor/publisher brokerage, R&D incentives). The incubator combines over 10 years of BUG Lab academic experience with KOSGEB government SME support to nurture gaming startups. Services are delivered to early-stage and growth-stage gaming companies seeking mentorship, workspace, and connections to publishers and investors.

Product overview

BUG Lab TEKMER is a technology development center and accelerator for the gaming industry in Turkey, operating under the motto 'Press Start for Casual and Beyond.' Established in 2012 as Bahçeşehir University Game Laboratory and supported by KOSGEB, it provides a two-tier acceleration program: LVL-1 Pre-Incubation (6-month program for early-stage game startups offering free workspace, training, and mentorship) and LVL-2 Incubation (for mature companies requiring office space, legal support, and investor/publisher brokerage). The center combines over 10 years of BUG Lab's academic experience with KOSGEB's support to foster technology development and innovation in the gaming sector, supporting independent game developers through mentorship, networking events, Demo Day presentations, and industry connections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LVL-1 Pre-Incubation Program: A 6-month pre-incubation program for early-stage game startups under the motto 'Press Start for Casual and Beyond'
• LVL-2 Incubation Program

Products and services

• LVL-1 Pre-Incubation Program A 6-month pre-incubation program designed for early-stage game startups with the motto 'Press Start for Casual and Beyond'. It provides free workspace at BAU Galata, BUG Lab training sessions, mentorships, access to the BUG Lab network of publishers and investors, and culminates in a Demo Day event where teams present their projects to investors for potential advancement to the LVL-2 Incubation tier.
• LVL-2 Incubation Program An incubation program for companies that develop game projects or implement business ideas for the game industry. It offers office space at BAU Galata, legal support, mentorship, project PR support at fairs and events, coaching by industry experts, brokerage support for investors and publishers, R&D support, and access to incentives under Turkey's R&D incentive law. It targets existing companies or startups in the incorporation phase with projects that have completed feasibility studies.
• Mentorship Services Ongoing expert mentorship provided to incubated startup teams by a curated roster of industry professionals across multiple disciplines. Mentors include Doç. Dr. Güven Çatak, Meriç Eryücrek (Vardiya, Upgrade Entertainment), Can Oral, Burak Tezateşer (Nowhere Studios), Sercan Sülün (Dream Warrior), and 13+ other industry professionals who guide teams through production, business development, marketing, finance, law, and monetization challenges.
• Demo Day A graduation event held at the end of the Pre-Incubation Program where teams present their projects to investors within the BUG Lab TEKMER network, providing a direct pathway to funding and further incubation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11 million+ downloads achieved by graduate company Gedev's FLAGS trivia game series
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bahçeşehir University (BAU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012BUG Lab (Bahçeşehir University Game Laboratory) is the parent organization established in 2012. BAU provides academic infrastructure, student talent pool from undergraduate and master's programs, and physical workspace at BAU Galata location.
• AD GamingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAD Gaming partnered with Blackburne Games (BUG Lab Tekmer graduate) to elevate their national success to an international level through publishing/distribution support.
• Upgrade EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry mentor Meriç Eryürek from Upgrade Entertainment provides mentorship to BUG Lab Tekmer startups.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GameBCN: Public-private gaming incubator partnership similar to Bug Lab Tekmer's KOSGEB+BAU structure. Acts as Barcelona's regional gaming hub with workspace, training, and Demo Day-style graduation events.
• GameBCN: Barcelona-based gaming incubator offering workspace, mentorship, and industry connections to game studios. Similar incubation model targeting game entrepreneurs in a regional ecosystem.
• GameFounders: Global gaming-focused accelerator that runs cohorts for early-stage game studios. Directly comparable to BUG Lab Tekmer as both provide structured incubation for game startups with mentorship and investor access.
• Hangar 51: UK-based gaming accelerator providing early-stage game studios with funding, mentorship, and access to publishers. Comparable structured accelerator offering similar value proposition to Bug Lab Tekmer's LVL-1/LVL-2 programs.

Broad incumbents

• Makers Fund: Global venture fund investing in interactive entertainment and consumer tech. Comparable ecosystem investor relevant to publishing partnerships and growth-stage capital access for Bug Lab Tekmer graduates.
• BITKRAFT Ventures: Global gaming-focused venture capital firm investing across gaming, interactive media, and Web3. Relevant as an upstream investor ecosystem participant that Bug Lab Tekmer's portfolio companies may target for Series A funding.
• London Venture Partners (LVP): London-based venture fund exclusively focused on the interactive entertainment and gaming sector. Comparable investor ecosystem participant for graduated portfolio companies.

Regional players

• GAME START: Taiwan-based gaming startup incubator and accelerator supporting indie game developers across Asia. Operates similar incubation programming for game studios but in a different geography.

Emerging players

• A MAZE: Berlin-based indie games festival and emerging incubator supporting independent game developers. Overlaps with Bug Lab Tekmer's indie game development focus through its indie showcase and award programs.
• GameLauncher: Brazil-based gaming accelerator focused on Latin American game startups. Comparable emerging-market gaming incubator serving early-stage studios.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/bugGameLab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buglabtekmer
• Instagraminstagram.com/buggamelab
• Facebookfacebook.com/buggamelab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bug Lab Tekmer