TILKI Raises $2.2M in Pre-Seed Funding to Democratize Game Design with AI

London, 12 August 2025 – TILKI, a London-based AI-powered game creation platform, announced today it has closed $2.2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was spearheaded by Twin Path Ventures, with strategic participation from Atlas AI^VB Fund I (Atlas SGR), XTX Ventures, and SFC Capital.

A New Era of AI-First Game BuildingTILKI sets itself apart as an AI-first platform, built from the ground up to generate dynamic, evolving video games—not by retrofitting AI into standard game engines, but by placing AI at the core of creation and distribution.
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Creators begin with prompts and conceptual graphs, and TILKI dynamically interprets and expands these into immersive game worlds that evolve based on both creator vision and player actions. This approach offers unbounded narratives, where every player interaction influences the ongoing story.

Dynamic Gameplay & Emergent StorytellingTILKI’s unique structure enables true dynamism in gaming:

• Layered architecture: Games are constructed with three layers—a creator’s overarching vision, a log of player session events, and individual player histories—enabling both multiplayer interactions and deeply personalized solo experiences.
• Endless narrative potential: Rather than follow rigid storylines or limited dialogue choices (A, B, or C), TILKI generates complex, unscripted gameplay. For example, an innkeeper NPC might simply rent a room—but with the right persuasion, could incite an uprising that spreads across an entire town.

Led by a Stellar Cross-Discipline TeamTILKI is helmed by Barn Cleave (Co-Founder & CEO) and supported by a multidisciplinary leadership team:

• Kasper Hunt, Chief Technology Officer
• Luke Robinson, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer
• Eleanor Stefanik, PhD, Chief Product Officer
• Colleen Farrelly, MS, Chief Mathematician Officer
• Siddharth Deshpande, PhD, Chief Machine Learning Officer

The 17-person team includes experienced video game developers, AI and ML scientists, and engineers who have worked with Atari, Sony, Microsoft, and NVIDIA. Many have also led platforms serving over 14 million users, founded previous AI ventures, are avid D&D enthusiasts, and published creative writers.

Funding Use: Beta Build-Out & Marketplace DevelopmentTILKI will deploy the fresh capital to drive key milestones:

• Closed beta launch in six months
• Open beta rollout within one year
• Development of a creator marketplace: This upcoming platform will foster collaboration—allowing creators to share strategies, modular components, and co-develop gameplay elements.

Vision to Transform a $176B MarketTILKI aims to upend the conventional development model by granting individual storytellers and creators unprecedented access to game design tools—without the need for code. CEO Barn Cleave captured the ethos:
“We see a future where anyone with a game idea can bring it to life, creating experiences that grow and evolve alongside the players. By democratising game creation, we’re not just changing how games are made; we’re opening the door for entirely new voices to shape the medium.”

About TILKI
TILKI is an AI-powered game creation platform redefining how interactive experiences are built and enjoyed. By enabling creators—from children and novelists to professional designers—to build immersive, dynamic games driven by narrative choice rather than static coding, TILKI reimagines story and gameplay for the AI era.

About Twin Path Ventures
Twin Path Ventures is an early-stage VC firm focused on AI and game-technology startups. Their backing of TILKI reflects confidence in the company’s vision and diverse, deep-tech founding team.