The entrepreneur behind a virtual events start-up which has just raised 拢32m has revealed the fascinating story behind the business.听
Johnny听叠辞耻蹿补谤丑补迟鈥檚听Hopin听has been backed听in a听Series A听round led by IVP, with participation from Salesforce Ventures and existing investors Accel,听Northzone,听Seedcamp听and Slack Fund.听听
Since launching in 2019, London-based听Hopin听has scaled to nearly a million users attending events hosted by over 16,000 organisations.听However听its roots go back much further.听
鈥�Five years听ago听I had a rare and severe reaction to a medication I鈥檇 been taking, and ended up allergic to the world,鈥� the CEO said.听听
鈥�That听isn鈥檛 an exaggeration either. My immune system went into a seemingly permanent hyperdrive. It was so bad that for years, I could barely go outside. Which, among other things, means that I was stuck inside against my will before it was cool.听
鈥�The truth is, I was lucky. This happened to me in an era where there were all sorts of ways I could interact with others from home. I could use Facebook or Facetime or Twitter or Slack. There were countless ways I could be active and connected in the world, even as I couldn鈥檛 wander freely through it.听
鈥�But there was something I couldn鈥檛 do, something I missed from my previous life that I couldn鈥檛 reproduce in my digital world:听I wanted to go to events. I wanted to meet people. I wanted to hear great keynotes.听听
鈥�I wanted to go to breakout sessions where I could learn from people and interact with them. And I wanted the chance to experience those organic networking moments that can help make your career.听听
鈥�I tried to find something that could approximate what I was looking for, but no such thing existed. The closest thing I could find were webinars, but as anyone can attest, those don鈥檛 exactly match the dynamism of an interactive, in-person experience.鈥�听听
The platform allows attendees to learn, interact and connect with other听people in a virtual setting.听
It is currently producing events for major organisations such as the United Nations, The Wall Street Journal, NBC Universal, Adobe, GitLab, Culinary Institute of America, TNW and hundreds more.听
鈥淲e had the virtual content and the virtual听crowds, but听didn鈥檛 have a virtual venue. And you can鈥檛 have a convention if you don鈥檛 have a convention听centre,鈥澨鼴oufarhat continued.听
鈥�So听I decided to see if I might be able to build one myself. I wanted to create a virtual venue that was so useful that it would transform online events into indispensable experiences.听听
鈥淭hat was easier said than done. It took a lot to figure out how to take the best elements of in-person events and bring them online without losing the experiential and interactive aspects that make events so memorable.听听
鈥�But after plenty of fits and starts听鈥撎�and听a year and a half of coding听鈥� I听finally figured it out.鈥�听
Hopin听allows听event organisers to听create a main stage for content and rooms for group interactions like breakout sessions.听You can听also听set up听鈥�chat roulette鈥�-style networking meetings听and听event booths for engaging with sponsors and setting up tracked calls-to-action.听听
It claims to have听more than 50,000 customers on听its听waiting list,听with听hundreds听more added听each day.听
鈥�We鈥檝e also been excited to see that while many of our customers are first coming to听Hopin听because of the pandemic, they are so energised by the experience that they plan future events right away,鈥� added听Boufarhat.听
鈥�Our customers love that geography no longer has to be a limiting factor for their attendees. And they love that听Hopin听is the only venue that doesn鈥檛 have a maximum capacity.听听
鈥�It means their good ideas get heard by more people听鈥撎�typically听three times more than an in-person event. It means they can amplify insights and learnings across borders and boundaries. And it means they can help people network who would otherwise never be in the same room.听
鈥�It tells us that there is a great appetite for what we鈥檝e built. And it tells us it鈥檚 time to scale.鈥�听