Hopin – Company Profile

London-based Hopin is one of the leading online events hosting platforms that connects groups and communities through virtual, hybrid and in-person events. Organizations can also use Hopin’s platform for their internal meetings, conferences and events. Hopin goes beyond the basic framework of video conferencing and utilizes special tools to make virtual experiences as close as possible to real world interactions.

People using Hopin can have one-on-one live video communication, exchange virtual business cards, take part in breakout sessions, send chat messages, explore interactive expo areas, participate in surveys and polls and watch keynote presentations on stage.

History

One may be tempted to think that Hopin is one of the businesses that benefitted from the pandemic. While that may be true, Hopin had started operating much earlier in 2019. So, it wouldn’t be right to give the entire credit to the pandemic for Hopin’s success. The idea for Hopin came to the founder Johnny Boufarhat when he noticed that virtual events were pretty boring. Interactions were fairly limited and it didn’t even feel real. As a solution, Hopin was launched in 2019.

Hopin surely benefitted from the pandemic, which according to the founder is pure luck. Since its inception, Hopin has introduced new solutions and products at regular intervals. It continues to register strong growth, with 48,000 events hosted in 2021. Leading names such as NATO and American Express use Hopin’s products and solutions. Total number of customers is more than 100,000 and there are over 17 million registered users.

Another great thing about Hopin is that it is one of the few companies that have an entirely online presence. Hopin does not have any physical offices and all its employees work remotely. This makes Hopin carbon-neutral and environmentally sustainable. Hopin is confident that its success story will continue even in post-Covid era when things are getting back to normal.

Funding

Hopin has received investment worth $1 billion via 7 rounds of funding. Some of the key investors include Seedcamp, Northzone, Accel, Slack, Salesforce, IVP, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and General Catalyst Partners. After a massive $450 million funding in August 2021, Hopin’s valuation crossed $ 7.75 billion. Thereby, Hopin achieved the coveted Unicorn title.

Acquisitions

To strengthen its presence in online events management, Hopin had made a number of acquisitions. It includes Topi, StreamYard, Streamable, Jamm, Boomset and Attendify.

Competitors

Hopin competes with other online event, video conferencing and communication platforms such as Zoom, Hubilo, Airmeet, Cvent, INXPO and 6Connex.

About the Founder

Hopin was founded by Johnny Boufarhat in 2019. He currently serves as the CEO of the company. He has a mechanical engineering with management degree from The University of Manchester.