Secretlab
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Ian Alexander Ang and Alaric Choo, both former professional StarCraft II players, established Secretlab as a startup in December 2014 using S$50,000 from their personal savings.[1] March 2015 saw the debut of Secretlab's initial offering, the gaming chair called the Secretlab Throne V1.[1] The company reached a milestone in 2020 when it delivered its one-millionth chair.[1]
Key facts and history
Secretlab was started with S$50,000 from the founders' own savings, mostly spent on research and development.[1] October 2015 marked the release of two additional models: the Throne V2 and the Omega.[1] During the COVID-19 pandemic, a surge in demand occurred during 2020 and 2021, partly because office employees had to work from home.[2] Secretlab introduced the Magnus, a desk made of metal with magnetic features, in April 2021.[2]
Along Braddell Road in Singapore, the firm houses its main corporate office, a research and development center, and an esports gaming arena within a single 44,000 sq ft space.[3][4] A manufacturing facility for Secretlab is located in China.[3][4] Through a collaboration with HBO, Secretlab brought out gaming chairs themed after Game of Thrones.[3] Tech in Asia reported in March 2021 that Secretlab was nearing a valuation of US$1 billion, which would classify it as a unicorn.[5]
What the cited sources add
A 2021 Channel News Asia report noted that Secretlab's new global headquarters spans 44,000 sq ft and includes a research and development centre and an e-sports gaming arena.[4] Co-founder Alaric Choo said the company was hiring more than 100 employees in Singapore after "massive growth".[4] A 2020 Straits Times article reported that co-founders Ian Ang and Alaric Choo chose the name Secretlab because "secret is one of the most alluring words in the English dictionary and lab echoes Alaric's and my approach - we love R&D".[6] That article also noted that Secretlab has no bricks-and-mortar shops, only a showroom at its office.[6]
A 2020 Business Times article stated that Secretlab manufactures more than 300,000 chairs per year and sells in over 60 countries.[7] The company announced it was donating 400,000 masks to healthcare workers in Singapore, the US, and the UK during the pandemic.[7] In a 2022 study from the University of California, Berkeley, the Secretlab Titan Evo outperformed a mesh chair regarding supportability, how seat pressure was distributed, and how subjects rated their own task performance.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Secretlab" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "About Us - Secretlab SG", secretlab.sg; Lee, "Game on: Secretlab goes from startup to global brand in 5 years", The Business Times, 27 April 2020; Hayward, "Secretlab CEO Ian Alexander Ang on His Youthful Education in Gaming and Esports", Esports Observer, 21 June 2019; Yap, "'I was definitely not a good student': Secretlab co-founder Ian Ang", Channel News Asia, 28 October 2020; Bhagat, "Game of Thrones: how two men plan to conquer the world with just chairs", Stuff, 18 November 2015; Yap, "'I was definitely not a good student': Secretlab c en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Secretlab" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Furtado, "Secretlab could be Singapore's next billion-dollar company", Tech in Asia, 15 March 2021; Low, "Covid-19 pandemic a boon for gaming chair maker Secretlab, as demand from home office market grows", Today, 2 August 2020; "Secretlab MAGNUS Metal Desk — The Everyday Modern Computer Desk", Secretlab, 27 April 2021; Chokkattu, "This Magnetic Desk Is a Neat Freak's Dream", Wired, 19 September 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Secretlab" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tang, "Secretlab to hire more than 100 employees in Singapore following 'massive growth'", Channel News Asia, 31 August 2021; Tan, "Me & My Money: Sitting on a game plan to secure the future", The Straits Times, 17 March 2020}} {{closed access; "Secretlab TITAN Evo Game of Thrones Collection", Secretlab (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Tang, "Secretlab to hire more than 100 employees in Singapore following 'massive growth'", Channel News Asia, 31 August 2021. facts only, no text reused. channelnewsasia.com
- Wikipedia, "Secretlab" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Furtado, "Secretlab could be Singapore's next billion-dollar company", Tech in Asia, 15 March 2021; Furtado, "Secretlab could be Singapore's next billion-dollar company", Tech in Asia, 15 March 2021 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Tan, "Lunch With Sumiko: One great idea later, Secretlab CEO Ian Ang has 70% stake in multimillion-dollar business", The Straits Times, 29 November 2020. facts only, no text reused. straitstimes.com
- Lee, "Game on: Secretlab goes from startup to global brand in 5 years", The Business Times, 27 April 2020. facts only, no text reused. businesstimes.com.sg
- Wikipedia, "Secretlab" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Afterman, "Impact of Seat Material on Comfort, Preference and Performance During Computer-Based Tasks over a Prolonged Bout of Sitting", Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2022, p. 86 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Secretlab (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Secretlab (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Currency conversion: European Central Bank euro reference rates, rates of 4 November 2026.
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