Herman Blackbook launches New Platforms Fund for apps

Could you create a popular iPhone game for less than $3,000 of development costs?

If so, you may well be interested in The New Platforms Fund, which has just been launched by US consultancy Herman Blackbook.

It's aiming to invest small sums of $1,000-$3,000 in applications for iPhone, Twitter and several other less famous platforms

With so many indie and bedroom developers eyeing the iPhone, the fund is sure to be popular, even if the micro-funding is unlikely to stretch to a Gameloft-rivalling 3D epic game.

(For that, you'll be needing to tap KPCB's iFund, which has $100 million to dole out to developers, and has already invested in iPhone games firm ngmoco).

If you're on a more modest budget and fancy applying to the New Platforms Fund, you can make your pitch here.

On a related note, tech industry blog Mashable has an interesting post on how to raise money in a down economy, which may come in handy for strapped-for-cash mobile gaming startups.