Startup profile · funding coverage
Red Hot Labs funding, valuation and investors
Mobile social game studio acquired by Google in 2012.
Keep track of Red Hot Labs
Save this profile to your VCT watchlist for a quick return.
Funding, valuation & investors
Answer-first snapshotLatest funding
Seed
undisclosed · 2011
Latest known valuation
Not publicly disclosed
Total disclosed equity funding
Not publicly disclosed
Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.
Current status
acquired
acquired · San Francisco, CA
Investors in latest funding
Lead: Andreessen Horowitz
Overview
Red Hot Labs was a San Francisco mobile game studio founded by Dan Oglesby and Peter Relan in 2011. The studio built social mobile games for the early iOS App Store era, including titles that leveraged Facebook social graph integration. Andreessen Horowitz invested in the company during the first wave of mobile social gaming alongside Zynga's dominance. Google acquired Red Hot Labs in July 2012 in an acqui-hire, bringing the team to work on Google Play Games and social features rather than continuing the studio's game catalog. The acquisition price was not publicly disclosed. Red Hot Labs represents a16z's early mobile gaming bets before the firm's dedicated a16z Games fund.
Why Red Hot Labs is interesting
Early iOS social gaming wave — Google bought the a16z-backed team to bolster Play Games, not the games themselves.
Product & use cases
Red Hot Labs built social mobile games for iOS during the early App Store era, leveraging Facebook social integration for viral distribution.
- Social mobile gaming on iOS
- Facebook-integrated game mechanics for viral growth
- Casual game development for early smartphone users
Key facts
- Founded 2011 by Dan Oglesby and Peter Relan
- a16z portfolio company during early mobile gaming wave
- Acquired by Google in July 2012 (acqui-hire)
- Team joined Google Play Games development
Funding history (newest first)
Investors in our directory
Funds linked from Red Hot Labs's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.
Competitive landscape
Edge: Early mover in iOS social gaming with Facebook distribution integration during the Zynga-era gold rush.
Early iOS social gaming was dominated by Zynga and a wave of smaller studios. Red Hot Labs competed for Facebook-integrated distribution before mobile gaming economics shifted toward in-app purchases and away from social virality. Google's acqui-hire valued the team over the game IP.
-
Zynga incumbent
Dominant social mobile gaming company; Red Hot Labs operated in its shadow.
-
Storm8 adjacent
Mobile game studio with similar social gaming focus; also acquired.
-
Pocket Gems adjacent
Mobile game developer from same era; survived independently longer.
Notable stories
- Google acquired Red Hot Labs in July 2012 primarily for the engineering team, integrating them into Google Play Games rather than continuing the studio's game titles.
- Peter Relan previously founded Business.com and was a prolific angel investor; Red Hot Labs was his mobile gaming venture.
Industries
Related funding articles
Venture Capital Tracker pieces that cover Red Hot Labs's financing or category context.
FAQs about Red Hot Labs
Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.
Last updated:
Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.