Android co-founder Andy Rubin has raised $48 million to launch a hardware incubator he’s calling Playground Global, the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Hardware will drive future ecosystems,” Rubin said.
Rubin left Google in the fall of 2014 to pursue his hardware incubator, sunsetting nine years at the internet behemoth. Playground Global will provide counseling and support in all areas for hardware-based startups. Backers include Rubin’s previous employer Google, Hewlett-Packard, and electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn), among others.
The 52-year-old Maker is banking on finding or creating the next tech ecosystem, a phenomenon he believes comes in 20-year cycles, according to the WSJ. Investors include Redpoint Ventures, Tencent Holdings, and Seagate.
Rubin founded Android in 2004, selling it to Google the following year, where he continued to work on the operating system until 2013. In his last year at Google, he oversaw a robotics division called Replicant.
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