About Us
Built by families, for families.
In 2024, John took his wife, Leann, on their annual surprise anniversary trip - this time to Japan to explore the maternal side of her ancestry. They explored all of the sights, food, and vibrant culture that Japan had to offer. Amidst everything, one distinct experience stood out - the excitement of the modern claw arcades - which Leann had grown up playing as a kid in the Bay Area and Hawaii. From the modern prizes, bright lights, and exhilaration of a win, they knew this was something everyone would love.
Upon returning to San Mateo, they reached out to their friends, who are also local San Mateo natives, to explore the idea of bringing the fun of Japan's claw arcades to San Mateo. Both families were sold, and from there, everything else is history.
Welcome to Clawesome, the Bay Area's claw arcade where gaming meets community. Located in the heart of San Mateo, we've been bringing friends, families, and neighbors together since 2025 through the joy of interactive entertainment.
The arcade John built out himself is filled with the same style of modern, Japanese-inspired claw machines that sparked the idea, stocked with plushies and collectibles that Leann hand-picks and rotates every week. Every machine is tap-to-play: start a game with a game card from the counter, or with our mobile app for iPhone and Android, where you can load credits, follow tournaments, and catch our latest promotions.
Join the Clawesome community and discover what makes us truly clawesome.
“Our vision is a place our kids and families want to play at, and that feels like an authentic community in our hometown.”
John & Leann Lasala, Founders
Meet the Founders
John Lasala
Co-Founder
John co-founded Clawesome with his wife, Leann, after their 2024 trip to Japan, where nightly visits to claw arcades convinced him that downtown San Mateo needed one of its own. John works in construction and led the build-out of the arcade himself, turning a downtown storefront into the custom facility it is today. He writes about how Clawesome came to be.
Leann Lasala
Co-Founder
Leann grew up playing claw machines in the Bay Area and Hawaii, and rediscovered that joy in Japan's modern claw arcades. She is in charge of Clawesome's prizes, curating the weekly rotation of plushies and collectibles in every machine, and writes guides for first-time visitors.
Alex Elent
Co-Founder
Alex is a lifelong gamer and career software engineer who built Clawesome's technology from scratch: the mobile app, the tap-to-play NFC hardware on every machine, and the backend that connects them. He writes about the tech and about running claw machines as event marketing.
Iris Elent
Co-Founder & Event Manager
Iris runs Clawesome's events: claw machine rentals for weddings, corporate events, and festivals, plus in-store parties at the arcade. She works directly with couples, parents, and event planners, and writes about what makes those events work.
New Prizes Weekly
Leann rotates the plushies, figures, and collectibles in every machine each week, so there's always something new to win.
Tournaments & Challenges
Compete in tournaments and XP challenges, climb the leaderboards, and win prizes in front of a hometown crowd.
Tap-to-Play Machines
Alex built our tap-to-play system from scratch. Start any machine with a game card or the Clawesome app, and your credits go wherever you play.