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Ex-Google exec Andy Rubin raises $48 million for hardware incubator

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Dan Primack
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By
Dan Primack
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April 6, 2015, 4:00 PM ET
Rakuten CEO Mikitani, Google EVP Rubin, Twitter Co-founder Dorsey, Skype Co-founder Zennstrom Speak At Japan New Economy Summit
Andy Rubin, senior vice president at Google Inc., attends the New Economy Summit 2013 hosted by the Japan Association of New Economy (JANE) in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, April 16, 2013. Rakuten Inc. Chairman Hiroshi Mikitani set up the JANE in June after quitting the main business lobby Nippon Keidanren in protest over the group's support for nuclear power. Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by Tomohiro Ohsumi — Bloomberg via Getty Images

Late last year, Android co-founder Andy Rubin left Google (GOOG) to launch what was described as a hardware incubator. Now it seems that he’s got a lot of money to work with.

Rubin’s group, called Playground Global, has raised $48 million, according to a regulatory filing. It is structured as a venture capital fund, with no investors identified in the filing.

In addition to Rubin, Playground’s board of directors includes co-founder (and ex-Microsoft exec) Peter Barrett, Rubin’s former Google (and Danger) colleague Matt Hershenson and WebTV co-founder Bruce Leak.

UPDATE: The WSJ followed up with a story saying that investors in Playground Digital include Google, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) , Google, China’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. and Redpoint Ventures (where Rubin also will serve as a venture partner).

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