Abertay Prototype Fund begins new round of game start-up investments

Dundee, Scotland's University of Abertay has announced a new investment round for its Prototype Fund, which is dedicated to financing new game and software prototypes from UK start-ups. Game makers interested in launching a new company can apply to receive up to £25,000 ($39,000) from the Prototype Fund. They can use that initial backing to build a working prototype for their game idea, potentially attracting further investments for a full release. Previous Prototype Fund rounds have awarded a total of £375,000 ($586,000) across numerous game start-ups. The fund is backed by investments from Abertay University, the UK government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Scottish Government through the European Regional Development Fund. "The Abertay University Prototype Fund has received over 150 applications to date, showing that the UK is struggling to finance creative start-up companies," says Abertay University's director of business development Paul Durrant. He adds, "This market failure has real implications for economic growth and the creation of new jobs, but initiatives like the Prototype Fund are helping to unlock this trapped value in the economy." Interested developers have until 12 PM on April 13 to submit their application for this fourth round. More information on the Abertay Prototype fund is available here.