Last year, Google robotics division head Andy Rubin left the company after nine years, to start his own incubator, “Playground Global, ” which now joined Redpoint Ventures as its newest Venture Partner, Redpoint’s Cofounder and Partner Jeff Brody blogged on Tuesday.
“Most people know Andy Rubin as the creator of Android, ” Brody wrote. “I know Andy as a twenty-something engineer at WebTV who had built a sleeping loft above his cubicle so he didn’t have to leave the office. 20 years, 3 successful startups, and 2 billion Android devices later, Andy is joining Redpoint as a Venture Partner.”
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Brody notes that “it was in Redpoint’s offices that Andy first conceived Android. Ten years later, Android has become one of the most widely adopted technologies in the world, an operating system powering billions of devices. Andy’s expansive vision isn’t just limited to technology. Android’s success depended on discovering the right go-to-market model and pursuing the key business relationships that were required to make it the enormous success it is today. Andy sees what’s possible well before most people.”
The rest followed logically:
“We started talking in earnest about Andy joining Redpoint twelve months ago over a cup of coffee at his wife’s bakery in Los Altos. Andy had some big ideas about the evolution of hardware and software, but he wasn’t sure whether he would pursue them through his own hardware-focused incubator, Playground, or as a partner at Redpoint. Ultimately, we decided he should do both, and so we partnered a fourth time. Andy has become a Venture Partner at Redpoint, and Redpoint is the first investor in Playground.
“Andy is a perfect complement to our team at Redpoint helping founders of mobile, marketplace, SaaS and infrastructure companies achieve their ambitions. There isn’t a founder out there that won’t benefit from Andy’s ideas, experience and industry connections.”
According to VatorNews, “Playground” will receive $48 million in its funding round, with Redpoint being the major investor in this venture.
According to the Wall Street Journal, investors also include Google, Hewlett-Packard Co., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., and other tech companies.
“Andy is already evaluating and backing companies with us, and we’re excited to see how he can help Redpoint founders moving forward, ” Brody blogged. “We’re thrilled that he’ll be a part of our team identifying the next great startups and working with teams to realize their full potential.”
