London based startup ManaMind has secured $1.5 million in pre seed funding as it looks to automate one of the most time consuming parts of game development. By deploying autonomous AI agents that can test games continuously, the company aims to reduce reliance on manual quality assurance and accelerate development cycles across the industry.
Investor Backing and Early Support
The funding round was led by Sure Valley Ventures, with participation from EWOR, Ascension, SyndicateRoom, and Heartfelt. The diverse investor base reflects growing interest in AI driven tools that improve efficiency in software development.
The new capital will be used to expand ManaMind’s technical team, further develop its proprietary models, and support its expansion into key markets.
Tackling a Growing Industry Challenge
As video games become more complex and immersive, the process of testing them has grown significantly more demanding. Quality assurance often involves teams manually playing through games to identify bugs, inconsistencies, and performance issues.
This process is not only time consuming but also costly, particularly for large scale projects. It can slow down development timelines and divert resources away from creative work.
ManaMind is addressing this challenge by introducing an automated approach that allows testing to run continuously alongside development.
Autonomous AI Agents for Testing
Founded by Emil Kostadinov and Sabtain Ahmad, the company has developed AI agents capable of navigating virtual environments and interacting with game systems.
These agents simulate real player behaviour by continuously playing through games, identifying bugs and issues as they arise. The system then generates detailed and actionable reports, enabling development teams to focus on fixing problems rather than documenting them.
By running tests in parallel with development, ManaMind’s platform helps studios detect issues earlier, reducing the risk of delays and improving overall software quality.
Built for Precision in Virtual Worlds
A key aspect of ManaMind’s technology is its proprietary visual model, designed specifically for virtual environments. Gaming requires a high level of precision, as even small inconsistencies can impact user experience.
The company’s approach ensures that its AI agents can accurately interpret and interact with complex game worlds, making them effective tools for identifying issues that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Early Industry Adoption
ManaMind has already established design partnerships with companies such as Included Games and Crazy Labs. These collaborations indicate early demand for AI native testing solutions within the gaming industry.
By working closely with developers, the company is refining its platform to meet real world needs and demonstrate its value in production environments.
Expanding Beyond Gaming
While gaming serves as ManaMind’s initial focus, the company’s broader vision extends to other areas of software and even robotics. Automated testing is a common challenge across industries, and the principles behind ManaMind’s platform can be applied to a wide range of applications.
CEO Emil Kostadinov has emphasised that the goal is to free up human creativity by automating repetitive tasks, allowing developers and engineers to focus on innovation rather than routine processes.
A New Approach to Software Quality
As the demand for faster development cycles and higher quality products continues to grow, automated testing solutions are becoming increasingly important. ManaMind is positioning itself at the forefront of this shift by combining artificial intelligence with practical application in real world development environments.
With fresh funding and early traction, the company is taking steps toward redefining how software testing is conducted, starting with games and potentially expanding across the broader technology landscape.