Image: Hopin
Hopin hopes to get ahead of a new trend in event hosting with the launch of a second-screen experience for virtual and in-person event attendees.
During a virtual event today (3 February), Hopin announced the release of a new mobile app to tie in with its online event hosting platform.
“This app will be a critical piece to Hopin’s future hybrid strategy,” wrote Hopin VP of product David Aubespin in a company blog.
The Hopin app will be made available on iOS and Android later this month. It will serve as a companion to the desktop platform or as a second screen experience for both organisers and attendees.
For organisers, the app will offer access to Hopin’s real-time analytics and reports, team communication channels, attendee profiles, audience questions and more through a mobile platform.
Attendees will also be able to use the app to access Hopin events as they are streamed online. This can be their primary access point, a second screen to access other tools while streaming on a desktop, or a way to enhance the live experience for those who attend events in person.
With the app, all attendees will be able to access features such as polls, chat, a dynamic agenda view and networking capabilities.
‘Hopin is in a unique position to help shape the future of hybrid events’
– DAVID AUBESPIN
While still wholly committed to the virtual events space, Hopin is future-proofing its platform for a post-Covid world of hybrid events.
“As we all know, this past year forced the entire event industry to go virtual. But face-to-face interactions cannot be entirely replaced, and Hopin is in a unique position to help shape the future of hybrid events,” wrote Aubespin.
“With the Hopin mobile app, our mission was to provide the same great event experience on the Hopin web app – loved by millions of attendees and thousands of event professionals – and make that available for free on your phone.”
The many highs of Hopin
Aubespin co-founded event tech company Topi with Eric Sellin. Topi was acquired by Hopin in December 2020 with Sellin and Aubespin joining the company in order to lead development of hybrid and mobile products.
The previous month, UK-based Hopin closed $125m in Series B funding led by IVP and Tiger Global, with participation from Coatue and DFJ Growth. Previous investors Accel, Northzone, Salesforce Ventures and Seedcamp also returned in this round.
As reported by Reuters at the time, the company’s value surged to $2bn and The Information labelled it “the fastest software start-up unicorn in history”.
Indeed, 2020 was an explosive year for Hopin with founder and CEO Johnny Boufarhat reporting the addition of 3.5m users between February and November. More than 200 new team members were added to support this growth and Boufarhat said the company plans to increase its headcount by another 1,000 this year.
The company kicked off January 2021 with the announcement of another acquisition: StreamYard. In a deal worth $250m, StreamYard agreed to retain its brand and product while continuing to serve existing customers. Hopin will integrate the company’s streaming technology into its platform, making it the default streaming option.
