Rubin’s Startup Hardware Incubator Lands $48 Million in Funding from Google, HP, Seagate

Six months ago, Andy Rubin, Google’s (GOOG) former Android founder and guru, left the company reportedly to launch a hardware incubator, in a move that appeared to catch the vendor by surprise considering his immersion in the company’s robotics efforts. 

There’s not been much word from Rubin since but now we know why. He’s launched Playground Global LLC to help hardware device makers with manufacturing, distribution, financing, integration with the cloud, backed by some $48 million in funding from Google, Hewlett-Packard, Seagate (STX), along with Taiwan’s Hon Hai (Foxconn), China’s Tencent Holdings and venture capital firm Redpoint Ventures, where Rubin also is a partner.

Rubin, who founded Android and sold it to Google in 2005 after stints at Apple (AAPL) and General Magic, told the Wall Street Journal that Playground is a “studio” where engineers, entrepreneurs and inventors are free to experiment with new designs and ideas without concern over running a business.

In exchange for its support and advice, Playground will take equity positions in the startups rather than providing investment capital, Rubin said. He didn’t provide any details on how much each of Playground’s investors had infused into his company.

“Our aim is to free the creators to create,” he said in an interview. “By bringing these partners to the table we can remove many of the roadblocks of bringing a great idea to market.”

Rubin told the Journal that each of Playground’s investors will provide strategic value to the startups. Hon Hai reportedly will help Playground companies with large volume manufacturing, HP will assist the new businesses with global product distribution and Google, Tencent and Seagate will help the startups integrate their products with cloud platforms.

Redpoint will advise the Playground startups on financing and perhaps provide investment capital to entities that emerge from Playground as businesses, Rubin said. Playground startups, however, will be free to seek assistance investment funding from wherever they choose

When Rubin exited Google, the scuttlebutt was he grew uncomfortable with some internal constraints on his robotics work and his entrepreneurial spirit got the best of him. Now it looks like he’s set up to help others do the same.