 At launch, the company announced alliances with Hasbro, Telefonica, RTL Group, director Michael Bay, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, producer Thom Beers and comedian Whoopi Goldberg, in addition to filmmaker J.J. Abrams, who was then a principal investor.Abrams withdrew from the company in January 2012, reportedly due to his schedule.In November 2014, Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co. purchased a minority stake in FactoryMade.