Jest Rockets to $1M Run Rate in Three Months as the Texting-Powered App Store Takes Off

Driven by surging developer demand and 4x usage growth, Jest launches Fund II with up to $1M in funding for entertainment apps and games joining the platform

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jest, the texting-powered app store, today announced it has crossed a $1 million gross billings run rate in three months since enabling in-app purchases on the platform. To capitalize on this explosive growth, Jest is launching Fund II, offering up to $1 million in funding for mobile games and entertainment apps leveraging texting as a primary distribution channel.

"AI made building software easy. Distributing it is the real challenge," said Deyan Vitanov, CEO and Co-Founder of Jest. "Traditional app stores are completely saturated. We built Jest to unlock a new distribution channel based on texting and our rapid growth proves how badly developers need an alternative to legacy stores."

The Jest ecosystem is rapidly building momentum. In its newly released State of Jest Q3 report, the company details how leveraging the ubiquitous RCS standard makes Jest the premier surface for launching mobile games and entertainment apps. Findings reveal:

• Strong Monetization: Jest boasts a 15% payer conversion rate among active US users, outperforming standard mobile app benchmarks by nearly 5x.
• Deep Engagement: Tripled average daily time spent on platform since Q2 to 24 minutes per user, proving strong daily habit formation and retention via messaging.
• Accelerating Adoption: Scaled usage by 400%, jumping from 1 million to over 4 million total apps and games played.

To fuel this momentum, Jest is launching Fund II, providing up to $1 million in growth funding for entertainment apps and games that join the platform. Its debut fund received over 200 applications earlier this year, accepted under 10%, and grew the active catalog from 30 to 60 titles.

Fund II is designed to back developers across three stages from concept to scale:

• Explore: Dedicated to early validation, rapid prototyping, and experimental concepts to test what resonates with audiences.
• Scale: Allocated for promising apps and games to deepen platform testing on their path to becoming flagships.
• Flagship: Reserved for breakout successes, established franchises, and high-performing titles ready to grow.

"The Jest Fund gave Orbo the early distribution rocket fuel we needed," said Efe Kucuk, Head of Gaming at Trilitech. "The Jest platform offers better economics than the legacy mobile app stores, higher engagement, and a team that actually supports developers. We've shipped a lot of games through numerous channels and this is the first platform where the deal favours the developer. Jest provided the exact capital and support to take our game from early concept to a runaway hit."

Beyond direct capital, Jest offers industry-leading economics where developers retain up to 90% of net revenue while Jest covers all of the messaging fees. The platform provides complete infrastructure out of the box—from payments and notifications to authentication and compliance—allowing developers to adapt existing web or mobile apps and go to market in days.

Developers interested in applying for funding or publishing on Jest can visit about.jest.com/fund or explore the developer documentation at docs.jest.com.

About Jest

Founded in 2025, Jest is the texting-powered app store. Built on RCS—the universal messaging standard native to iOS and Android—the platform transforms the messaging inbox into an instant distribution engine for apps and games. As a developer-first alternative to traditional app stores, Jest offers developers up to 90% revenue share with zero messaging costs. Learn more at about.jest.com.