How Otsimo came to be

We developed more than 50 games with educators and families and created a free open source AAC communication tool for nonverbal children in different languages. Our story helped my brother and many other children.

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Read Zafer's story
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Meeting With Autism

My brother was diagnosed with severe autism when he was 2 years old. I was 10 back then. He had been non-verbal and unable to read for a long time. I remember those days when we wanted him to speak a word.

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Discovering the potential

He was having a hard time focusing and learning. But when I bought my first smartphone, I realized my brother has a special interest in smart devices, about 10 times longer than his usual attention to his surroundings. After that, I bought him an iPad as a gift.

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Lack of a proper solution

Then I noticed a problem. There weren’t suitably designed applications for children with disabilities like his. Some communication apps (AAC) were too expensive, and the games were very difficult for him. Because of that, he could play only a few apps, some of which included ads that can be harmful to him.

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...and taking the initiative

So with my close friend, we decided to build a basic color game to teach colors to my brother. In a relatively short period of time, he became able to distinguish the colors. His interest and success inspired us to build games for every child who can benefit from them, and we created Otsimo, a mobile education platform for children with disabilities.

Democratize the special education

We believe that education is a basic human right and are determined to improve our work until proper special education is available and accessible to each and every household in need.

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Zafer Elcik, Co-founder of Otsimo

Obama Leader & Ashoka Fellow

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Joyful families that like Otsimo.

We reached

1.500.000 users all over the world

The kid is playing with Otsimo app on tablet with her teacher.
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We work together on lessons daily, but he can also play independently. He loves the sound games so much he'd play all day if I let him!

@Janaki, Play Store
The boy is playing with Otsimo app on tablet with her teacher.
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I am a special education teacher in a special education school. The app is very convenient and useful for my children. I recommend it to all my colleagues.

@barisunal, Appstore
The boy with yellow shirt is examining the Otsimo app.
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As a behavior specialist, I will be recommending to the families I work with. I’m particularly thrilled about the no-advertising approach!

@Christina, Play Store

Meet

Our excellent team

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Sercan
Sercan

CTO, Director of Engineering

Zafer
Zafer

CEO

Mehmet
Mehmet

Director of Design & Art

Ali
Ali

Director of Products

Utkay
Utkay

Game & Engineering Manager

Murat
Murat

Art Manager

İlgim
İlgim

HR manager aka. Chief Happiness Officer

Matthew
Matthew

Finance Manager

Seçil
Seçil

Copy Editor and Content Writer

Ceren
Ceren

Animator

Ceren
Ceren

Play Designer

Deniz
Deniz

Jr. Game Developer

Belen
Belen

Illustrator

Gözde
Gözde

Frontend Developer

Furkan
Furkan

Software Developer

Ege
Ege

QA Tester

Yiğit
Yiğit

Unity Animator

Helin
Helin

Jr. Growth Specialist

Cem
Cem

Game Developer

Dobby
Dobby

Chief Cat Officer

We’re looking for great people to help us make even more awesome games.

Work with us

We're

Globally acknowledged

sago-otsimo-partnering

Otsimo is partnering with Sago Mini, the world's leading mobile games company for children! Together we're working towards a better and more inclusive future for children everywhere.

Our goal is to create educational and entertaining digital toys that engage children and help them develop essential skills, no matter where they're from or what their abilities are. With Sago Mini's award-winning reputation and Otsimo's expertise in special kids' space, we're confident that we can make a real difference in the lives of children around the world.

Sago Mini First Words