Wonder, a stealthy mobile gaming startup headquartered in Venice, has emerged on the scene with news of a $14 million round of funding — and a glimpse into the company’s intriguing gaming platform.
Although details are still a bit unclear, the company is working on a portable hardware somewhere between a smartphone and a gaming console. Wonder is also working on software, services and content for the device to improve the mobile gaming experience.
“We are building a company where everything we do revolves around our community,” said Andy Kleinman, founder and CEO of Wonder, in a statement provided to Built In LA. “Most companies focus on the product first, but our focus has been on understanding our core potential audience and what they care about most. Once you can truly understand your audience, you can innovate and build products and services that are focused on making them happy for a long time. We all consider ourselves to be our core audience, so the approach is very real and authentic.”
The company also launched its Wonder Alpha Program and is taking applications to test the mysterious device.
“The goal of the community is not to sell them products and services, but to allow people to help us innovate, to have a voice in developing ideas, and ultimately so we can deliver experiences they are truly excited about. When you have a large group of like-minded people with similar interests, there’s a huge potential for collaboration,” stated Kleinman.
Kleinman, who previously served as Chief Business Officer at Scopely, has assembled a team of passionate gamers with experience at tech giants like Apple, Sony, Activision, Riot Games, Google and Facebook.
The round of funding was led by led by Grishin Robotics and TCL Communication Holdings Ltd., and included contributions from an all star list of celebrities, including Gerard Pique, Neymar Jr. and Shakira. Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC, Moonshots Capital and Emmanuel Seuge’s fund, Cassius, also made investments.
Images via Wonder.
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