COLUMBUS, Ohio–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Developer and publisher Supersocial has raised $5.2 million dollars in seed funding to build iconic metaverse experiences. The company started its journey by creating games and experiences for the Roblox platform, inspiring people to collaborate, socialize and express themselves through play, as it looks to the future of virtual worlds and interactive experiences. Supersocial was founded by serial entrepreneurs Yonatan Raz-Fridman “Yon” (CEO) and Pedro Romi (CFO), who previously founded successful, venture-backed consumer technology and Internet companies Kano and Retroca respectively, joined by co-founders Luiza Justus (Creative Director) and Tatiana Wlasek (VP Marketing & People Experience).
The seed funding was led by Initial Capital (founded by the serial entrepreneurs behind Playfish who led seed rounds for Supercell, Hutch Games, Nexmo, Supersolid and Space Ape), with investment from Griffin Gaming Partners (investors in Discord, AppLovin, Skillz, Forte), Warner Music Group, Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures, LightShed Ventures (investors in Genvid, Cameo), Powerhouse Capital (investors in Calm, MasterClass), Aream & Co, and prominent angel investors. Supersocial is delighted to partner with this distinguished list of experienced entrepreneurs and investors who share its vision for the future of gaming and the metaverse.
“It’s inspiring for the future of both our company and the metaverse itself when such insightful business people can see the horizon you want to travel toward and help you cut the path,” said CEO Yon Raz-Fridman. “The experiences that we envision building at Supersocial are not merely ‘games,’ they are worlds that illustrate our approach to living in the metaverse. The relationships and experience our benefactors bring are just as valuable to us as any financial bottomline.”
Ken Lamb, co-founder of Initial Capital, who has joined the Supersocial Board, commented: “We are in the midst of a seismic shift in the nature of mobile gaming driven by super-fast mobile data, ubiquitous social media, user-generated content, massive multiplayer online worlds and a merging of ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ worlds on platforms like Roblox and other emerging metaverses. At Initial Capital, we have been intensely focused on partnering with the next generation of leaders in this rapidly emerging and evolving universe and are excited and honored to partner with a visionary like Yon and his extraordinary colleagues at Supersocial.”
Brandon Ross, partner at LightShed Ventures, added, “Roblox has created the largest current building block of the metaverse and the one place with the tools for anyone to become a developer of quality experiences. Nonetheless, a few professional studios will lead the charge in bringing even more immersive experiences onto the platform. Supersocial is at the top of that list and we are eagerly anticipating the launch of Ghostopia.”
The company is currently preparing multiple titles for launch on the Roblox platform including the much anticipated experience Ghostopia – a multiplayer RPG set in a haunted world where life meets afterlife, where players build and decorate the haunted mansion of their nightmares.
Supersocial has established Supersocial Labs, an evolution of the “cell” concept in mobile games tailored to metaverse platforms like Roblox. This bespoke division of Supersocial recruits and employs aspiring Roblox developers to create thrilling experiences in rapid development cycles and provides capital, operating expertise, support and infrastructure to help creators bring new unique games to life. Through the Labs division, Supersocial has multiple games under development, all of which are expected to be released in the near future.
About Supersocial
Supersocial is a developer and publisher of experiences for the metaverse, focused initially on creating iconic games for the Roblox platform. As part of Supersocial Labs the company also recruits and employs aspiring Roblox developers to create thrilling experiences in rapid development cycles and provides capital, operating expertise, and infrastructure to bring their unique concepts to life. Founded by serial entrepreneurs Yonatan Raz-Fridman “Yon” (CEO) and Pedro Romi (CFO), the company counts Initial Capital, Griffin Gaming Partners, Warner Music Group, Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures, LightShed Ventures, Powerhouse Capital, and Aream & Co. as investors in its vision.
Supersocial is setting out to build the Nintendo of the metaverse age with products that make a lasting impact on fans. To achieve this ambition, Supersocial brought on industry leaders from companies such as Nintendo (Chris Campbell, Principal Designer), Big Fish Games (Peter Yiap, Technical Director), and Dreamworks (Cara Khan, Art Director), who bring with them a stellar track record across game design, engineering, and art. In an effort to create the world’s most talent-centric metaverse company, these leaders empower and support a wider team of determined professionals from the game industry as well as veteran Roblox creators.