Secretlab

Secretlab is a Singapore based chair manufacturing company that specializes in the creation and production of gaming chairs.[1] It was founded in 2014 by Ian Alexander Ang and Alaric Choo. The company expanded to market their chairs in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.[2][3]

Secretlab
TypePrivate
IndustryFurniture
Founded2014 (2014)
HeadquartersSingapore
Area served
Europe, Northern America, Asia and Oceania
ProductsSecretlab THRONE
Secretlab OMEGA
Secretlab TITAN
Secretlab TITAN XL
NAPA Series
SoftWeave™ Series
OwnerIan Alexander Ang (co-founder)
Alaric Choo (co-founder)
Temasek Holdings
Websitesecretlab.co

Secretlab is backed by Singapore's sovereign wealth funds, Temasek Holdings.[4]

History

Secretlab was founded in 2014 by two former competitive gamers Ian Alexander Ang and Alaric Choo, who set out to create and market computer chairs targeted at computer gamers, having grown disgruntled at the lack of affordable and quality options in the gaming chair market.[5][6][7] They got the idea to start the company after they could not find a chair that could be used for long hours and fit both gaming and office setups.[8]

The company officially launched in Singapore in May 2015[9] and later in the same year launched in Malaysia and Australia followed by the United States in 2016.[10][11][12] In 2017, the company expanded into the United Kingdom, Europe and Canada.[13][14]

In 2019, Secretlab expanded within the South-east Asia region and into the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.[15] The company moved into Korea, Japan, and New Zealand in 2020, part of its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region.

Secretlab founders use a direct-to-consumer distribution model to keep prices down.[16][17] In September 2020, The company was ranked third on Singapore’s top 10 startups by LinkedIn, and CEO Ian Alexander Ang was named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year for Consumer Products, the youngest in the history of the award.[18][19]

Secretlab OMEGA Stealth

Products

Secretlab's products are generally targeted at gamers, although the company has also attracted customers from law firms, clinics and corporate offices.[20]

The company has released four models, the Secretlab THRONE, Secretlab TITAN XL, Secretlab Titan, and Secretlab OMEGA.[21][22] The models were revised in May 2019, after three years of research and development, and are sold as the Secretlab 2020 Series.[23][24] The chair's cushion are made with high density cold-cure foam with metal substructure.[25] The chairs are sold with various upholstery options, including leather, fabric, and leatherette.[26][27][28]

Partnerships

International e-sports events

Secretlab has partnered with several esports events including:

International e-sports teams

The company has also partnered with international e-sports teams Team Liquid,[44] OG,[45] G2 Esports,[46] Cloud9,[30] Team Secret,[47][48][49] Astralis,[50] T1,[51] and Evil Geniuses.[52]

Other partnerships

Secretlab has supported professional gamers, such as Daryl Koh (iceiceice)[53] and Ho Kun Xian.[54] They have also partnered with e-sports tournament operator PGL,[55] MDL[56] and StarLadder,[57] and e-sports network OGN.[58][59]

In April 2019, Secretlab announced a partnership with Warner Bros Consumer. Products for a co-branded Secretlab Dark Knight Edition gaming chair to commemorate Batman's 80th anniversary.[60][61][62] The two organisations launched another collaboration in celebration of the Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey film that was released in February 2020,[63][64] following up with a third seat inspired by The Joker in August 2020.[65]

In May 2019, in celebration of television series Game of Thrones' final season, Secretlab and television network HBO also announced the world's first Game of Thrones gaming seats, themed after the three fan-favourite Houses from the series: House Stark, House Lannister and House Targaryen.[66][67][68]

In August 2019, Valve and Secretlab announced the world's first Dota 2 Edition gaming chairs[69] ahead of The International 2019, where Secretlab was also named as an official hardware provider for the tournament.[70]

In November 2019, Secretlab became the first gaming chair brand to collaborate with Blizzard Entertainment to release the world's first[71] officially licensed Overwatch and D.Va edition gaming seats.[26][72] The companies partnered again in October 2020 for the first World of Warcraft Alliance and Horde Edition chairs.[73]

In June 2020, Secretlab teamed up with Witcher 3 developer CD Projekt Red to release the Secretlab Cyberpunk 2077 Edition chair.[74]

Secretlab revealed the League of Legends Champions Collection in August 2020, designed in collaboration with Riot Games and featuring four chairs inspired by fan-favorite champions Ahri, Akali, and Yasuo and virtual pop group K/DA.[75] The K/DA ALL OUT Edition was added to the collection in October 2020 to celebrate the band’s comeback and new album.[76][77]

In September 2020, Secretlab announced that it had been chosen as the official chair partner of the League of Legends World Championship 2020 for the second year running, it released a special edition design, the Secretlab Worlds 2020 Edition, for the event, alongside a limited edition Worlds 2020 Prestige Edition seat.[78][79]

In October 2020, Secretlab partnered with independent game development studio Facepunch Studios to release the Secretlab Rust Edition, which comes with the first Rust in-game Secretlab chair blueprint, only obtainable by purchasing the official chair.[80]

Reception

The products of Secretlab have met positive responses from IGN, Kotaku,[81] Forbes,[82] PC Gamer,[83] TweakTown,[84] TechRadar,[85] GamingScan,[86] Tech Guided,[87] CNET,[88] PCMag,[89] GamesRadar+[90] and Tech Advisor.[91]

Awards
  • The Emerging Enterprise Award (2017)[92]
  • Hardware of the Year Award, PCGame2 (2019)[93]
  • Editor's Choice Award, Tom's Hardware[94]
  • Editor's Choice Award, TweakTown[95]
  • Editor's Choice Award, Gameranx[96]
  • Editor's Choice, GamesRadar+[97]
  • Best Gaming Chair, GamesRadar+ (2020)[98]

References
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