H
Hands-On Mobile
San Francisco, United States · Founded 2001
Mobile game development and publishing for media brands MoreLess
Hands-On Mobile, initially founded as Mforma in 2000 by David Bluhm and later joined by Daniel Kranzler, was a developer and publisher of mobile entertainment content. The company rebranded to Hands-On Mobile in April 2006.
The firm developed, published, and distributed mobile content, including games, through network operators and online portals using technologies like Java ME, BREW, SMS, MMS, and WAP. Its business model involved partnering with major media brands such as Activision, CBS, NASCAR, and the World Poker Tour to extend their reach onto mobile platforms. The company generated revenue by distributing this content to clients like AT&T, Sprint/Nextel, and Verizon Wireless. The portfolio featured well-known titles like "Guitar Hero III Mobile," "Call of Duty," and games based on franchises such as "Spider-Man" and "Iron Man."
Hands-On Mobile expanded through the acquisition of several mobile technology and entertainment companies, including nGame Ltd, Blue Beck, and FingerTwitch. The company secured significant venture capital funding from investors like Draper Fisher Jurvetson, General Catalyst Partners, and Bessemer Venture Partners. Over its history, the company went through several strategic divestitures. In 2008, it sold its Korean operations to Electronic Arts, which became EA Mobile Korea. In 2010, GoTV Networks acquired its mobile application development division.
Keywords: mobile games, game publisher, content distribution, mobile entertainment, brand partnerships, Java ME, BREW, media brands, wireless entertainment, application development
Company overview
Hands-On Mobile company information
The essential company record, classifications and operating signals in one place.
- Status
- Operational
- Founded
- 2001
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, United States
- Employees
- 58
- Open positions
- None listed
- Dealroom signal
- 53.3
Valuation & funding
Hands-On Mobile funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERIES COther financing | Oct 2005 | $30M | $120M | IVP | — |
| SERIES AOther financing | Jun 2004 | $44M | $176M | General Catalyst | — |
Growth signals
Hands-On Mobile website traffic
Latest recorded traffic for Hands-On Mobile is 90 monthly website visits, down 94% over the last three months. Hands-On Mobile's team grew 0% over the past year.
Talent graph
Hands-On Mobile's talent
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
Where Hands-On Mobile has talent and traffic
team presence
In the news
Latest news about Hands-On Mobile
Recent press, funding announcements, and product moves mentioning Hands-On Mobile — open to read from the original sources.
Market sentiment
What the market is saying about Hands-On Mobile
An AI-synthesized read of the highest-engagement posts about Hands-On Mobile on X over the past 7 days. We rank by likes & retweets, ignore corporate channels, and surface the themes that broke out from real people.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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