Ginger Joy Successfully Concludes £1 Million Fundraising Round
By Anushka Malhotra
1 minute 15 seconds
Spotlight

Share:

Quick Read: Ginger Joy, the gaming start-up born from Matchingham Games, successfully concludes a £1 million fundraising round, positioning itself to redefine gaming with a player-centric approach to integrating blockchain technology. The venture aims to enhance, not dominate, the gaming experience, offering tangible benefits for players exploring the seamless integration of blockchain in mobile games.
Leicester-based gaming start-up Ginger Joy, a spin-off from the renowned Matchingham Games, has achieved a significant milestone by closing a £1 million fundraising round. With Matchingham Games boasting a global presence and nearly 500 million installations, Ginger Joy emerges with a robust foundation.
Photo: Ibhrahim Over and Jeremy Stein, Photo Credit: Matchingham Games
The venture is not merely an extension but a strategic evolution, bringing together a seasoned management team with a wealth of experience from diverse corners of the gaming industry. Notable additions include Soner Yurtseven, Matchingham's art director and CGI supervisor to Netflix, stepping into the role of art director at Ginger Joy. Jeremy Stein, with experience from Epic/Tonic, joins as the product development manager.
What sets Ginger Joy apart is its vision to seamlessly integrate blockchain technology into the gaming experience. While the hype around blockchain is palpable, Ginger Joy remains committed to delivering genuine, tangible benefits to gamers. Ibrahim Over, the CEO, emphasizes their approach as making the shift to blockchain feel natural, ensuring that technology enhances rather than dominates the gaming experience.
Russell Brown, Chief Business Development Officer at Matchingham Games, underscores the strategic collaboration and expansion, emphasizing the venture's commitment to upholding and exceeding high standards.
Ginger Joy's player-centric philosophy positions technology as a tool to enrich the gaming experience, allowing players the choice to explore and embrace blockchain technology out of curiosity rather than obligation. This approach aims to elevate gaming, putting the game and the gamer at the forefront of technological innovation.
The £1 million funding injection provides Ginger Joy with the financial leverage to push boundaries and innovate in the mobile gaming space. As the venture gears up for the next phase, the gaming community anticipates how Ginger Joy will reshape and redefine the landscape, promising an exciting and enriched gaming journey for players.
Read more here.
What's new

DigiSpinWM Pilot Celebrates Milestone as 11 Investor-Ready Innovations Emerge in the West Midlands

The DigiSpinWM pilot programme, a bold initiative designed to accelerate the spin-out of digital and advanced manufacturing innovations in the West Midlands, has marked a key milestone with a showcase event in Birmingham, unveiling 11 investor-ready ventures developed over the past six months.

Transforming Ideas into Investment Opportunities

Backed by Research England and delivered through a partnership between the University of Wolverhampton, Coventry University, and Birmingham City University via the West Midlands Combined Universities, the programme set out to test a collaborative model for commercialising innovation more efficiently and effectively.
In just six months, DigiSpinWM has:
- Assessed over 40 high-potential technologies for commercial viability
- Delivered tailored support to participants on spin-out strategy and intellectual property development
- Nurtured 11 ventures to investment readiness
- Developed a shared framework for technology transfer across participating universities
The recent showcase celebrated these achievements, spotlighting innovations spanning early-stage development to near-market solutions with the potential for significant societal and economic impact.

A Regional Model for Innovation

Ceri Jones, Director of Research & Enterprise at the University of Wolverhampton, reflected on the programme’s success:
The DigiSpinWM pilot has been a transformative journey. Seeing 11 investor-ready ventures emerge from such a collaborative, regional approach shows what’s possible when we unify efforts across institutions. These spinouts will drive real-world change and position the West Midlands at the forefront of digital and advanced manufacturing.
The pilot’s success is also credited to a strong ecosystem of academic mentors, business advisors, and industry reviewers who provided essential support and guidance to participants.
The showcase event featured live pitches from select ventures to an audience of investors, stakeholders, and innovation leaders, marking a key step towards unlocking the funding required to bring these innovations to market.
With the DigiSpinWM model proving its value, the programme signals a new chapter for spin-out activity in the West Midlands—one built on collaboration, shared infrastructure, and investment-ready innovation.
By Anushka Malhotra
8 Jun