Congratulations to Moss Monkey Games on closing their SEIS investment round.
Moss Monkey Games is one of the growing number of indie game studios emerging from Norwich's creative and digital scene. Their journey through the Akcela incubator has taken them from early concept through to a funded, investment-backed studio — exactly the kind of trajectory our programme is designed to support.
The journey from concept to investment
Building a game studio is a creative endeavour. Turning it into a fundable business is a commercial one. Most indie developers are exceptionally good at the first part and have no experience with the second. That's the gap that incubation fills.
For Moss Monkey Games, the Akcela programme provided the structure and support needed to bridge that gap. The team entered incubation with a strong creative vision and genuine talent. Through the programme, they built out the business fundamentals: a financial model that made sense to investors, a clear go-to-market strategy, a pricing and platform approach grounded in market reality, and the legal and financial structure needed to accept external investment.
Critically, they also secured SEIS advance assurance from HMRC before approaching any investors. This confirmed that their company qualified for the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, giving potential backers confidence that the tax relief would be available.
SEIS: still the most powerful tool for early-stage founders
The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme remains one of the most founder-friendly funding mechanisms in the UK. It offers investors up to 50% income tax relief on investments in qualifying early-stage companies, along with capital gains tax exemption and loss relief. For angel investors evaluating a high-risk creative company, these protections can be the difference between a "yes" and a "maybe later."
At Akcela, we work through the entire SEIS process with every portfolio company as part of our fundraising support — from advance assurance application through to issuing compliance certificates after the investment completes. It's one of the practical advantages of structured incubation: you don't have to figure this out alone, and the process is managed properly from the start.
Across the portfolio, Akcela-incubated companies have raised over £2.2 million in investment. SEIS has been central to nearly every seed-stage raise.
How the raise came together
Like Glowfrog Games before them, Moss Monkey Games followed the structured fundraising pathway that the Akcela programme provides:
Months of preparation — financial modelling, pitch development, and investor research long before any conversations happened. The Akcela team ran practice pitch sessions, pressure-tested assumptions, and helped the founders anticipate the questions experienced investors always ask.
Warm investor introductions — through Anglia Capital Group and Akcela's direct network of angel investors. These weren't cold emails — they were structured introductions from a trusted source, to investors who were actively looking for SEIS-qualifying opportunities.
Legal and compliance support — ensuring the share structure, investment terms, and shareholder agreements were properly set up, and that SEIS compliance certificates were issued promptly after the investment completed.
Norwich's indie gaming community
Norwich has a growing indie games scene, supported by Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) and a wider creative community that's increasingly focused on interactive media and game development. NUA produces graduates with the technical and artistic skills that game studios need, and a significant number of them are choosing to stay in Norwich rather than relocating to larger cities.
The success of studios like Moss Monkey Games and Glowfrog Games in raising investment demonstrates that Norwich can support commercially viable game development. Combined with the city's lower operating costs and strong creative talent pipeline, this is a sector with real momentum.
What's next
With the SEIS round closed, Moss Monkey Games has the runway to push forward with development. The Akcela team will continue working alongside them — supporting on product milestones, go-to-market planning, and the commercial challenges that come with turning creative work into a sustainable business.
We're proud to have Moss Monkey Games in the Akcela portfolio. If you're building a tech or creative company and want to explore how incubation can help, apply to the programme or get in touch. You can also learn about SEIS investment or explore the Future Tech Programme as a starting point.
