SAN FRANCISCO, CA, MinoMonsters, Inc., a videogames startup, today announced it has raised $1 million in total investment from an all-star group of investors including Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel, Y Combinator, Yuri Milner, General Catalyst, Ignition Partners, Raymond Tonsing, and Alexis Ohanian in 2011.

The company, which is led by Joshua Buckley, CEO, is the youngest entrepreneur to ever secure funding from investment giant Andreessen Horowitz. With the funding, MinoMonsters Inc. has opened offices in San Francisco, CA, is expanding its team, and will complete the development of its revolutionary flagship title, MinoMonsters, a monster battle and trading game for iPhone/iPod Touch. MinoMonsters Inc. also announces that TJ Murphy, former Product Manager at Zynga, creator of the first social game, Warbook, and Co-Founder of the Social Gaming Network, has joined the company as Co-Founder and President. Murphy will lead the game's development and the company's technology strategy.

MinoMonsters, a secret new world of lovable pet monsters that players battle and trade with friends from their iPhone, features cinematic animation and spectacular visual gameplay experiences only possible with today's iPhone technology. An action-packed adventure where players must gain the trust of their captured monsters and utilize their special powers to win battles vs. other players' monsters, MinoMonsters is designed to be the first game for iPhone that truly inspires people to play with their friends by making it easy to connect and share the game.

"MinoMonsters presents the opportunity to change mobile gaming forever. The extraordinary team over at Mino HQ has built a title that combines deep emotional engagement with the joy of mobile gaming…a perfect mix," said David Lee, founding managing partner, SV Angel. "We see tremendous opportunities in the mobile games market and this is why we are fully vested in what they are doing."

"The combination of funding from Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel and our group of investors, along with the hiring of TJ Murphy positions MinoMonsters for great future success," said Joshua Buckley, CEO of MinoMonsters. "TJ is one of the most respected minds in the social gaming industry and we are proud to have him on board to guide the development of our first iOS title."

MinoMonsters, which recaptures the magic of Pokémon on the iPhone with delightful, loyal creatures, each with their own personality, offers short gameplay sequences that allow players to start and finish a battle in a matter of minutes, delivering a fun and satisfying iPhone experience anywhere, anytime.

"I've worked on a variety of blockbuster social titles such as CityVille, FarmVille and FrontierVille in my career, but once I met with Josh to talk about his ideas for MinoMonsters, I knew this company had the potential to change the mobile games industry," said TJ Murphy, president of MinoMonsters. "It is not very often that something comes along that truly has the potential to reinvent a genre and become part of today's pop culture. I am thrilled to be a part of this world class team."

About MinoMonsters

San Francisco, CA-based MinoMonsters Inc., a videogame development studio creating emotionally engaging mobile games, is the brainchild of Joshua Buckley and TJ Murphy, both avid video game enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. The company, which is built from the ground up with the mantra of revolutionizing how people play and connect on their mobile devices, creates highly interactive, compelling games worthy of today's Smartphone technology. Its flagship game, MinoMonsters, a secret new world of lovable pet monsters that players battle and trade right from their iPhone, is designed to be the first mobile game that truly inspires people to play with their friends. Featuring magical, Disney-like animation and spectacular visual gameplay experiences, MinoMonsters recaptures the magic of Pokémon with delightful, loyal creatures, each with their own personality. An action-packed adventure where players must gain the trust of their captured monsters and utilize their special powers to win battles vs. other players' monsters, MinoMonsters offers tons of fun in short gameplay sequences that allow players to start and finish a battle in a matter of minutes, delivering a fun and satisfying gaming experience anywhere, anytime!