Small developers seeking to promote their mobile games can find the world of paid app installs a confusing marketplace to enter, but Think Gaming hopes to simplify that.

The company was initially focused on connecting developers with strategic partners and investors, but has since changed aim and now seeks to help the same developers reach wider distribution by optimising their use of install ads.

It has created a mobile gaming co-op where gaming companies are able to share data about the cost of the ads theyre purchasing across multiple networks, and how effectively the ads are performing. This eliminates the trial and error that many game companies have to go through in finding a network suited to their needs, and helps level the playing field between startups and gaming giants like King and Supercell.

The company also offers developers Scouting Reports that use its proprietary data set to analyse games, measuring key metrics like retention, monetisation and longevity to predict whether a game is likely to perform well in the market. It connects games with promising scores with interested publishers and investors, and offers lower-scoring games critical feedback to help them develop aspects like user acquisition and analytics.

It has also recently begun offering games that score particularly highly in Scouting Reports loans to fund development, publishing and marketing, helping the developers reach the next level while maintaining control over their businesses.

“We provide funding designed for a modern independent developer: the money games need to scale their user acquisition campaigns, without the one-size-fits-all nature of a publishing model thats past its prime,” said Tim Ogilvie, co-founder of Think Gaming.