Hopin

Hopin is a technology company of British origin that built software for hosting and participating in online events. Founded in 2020 by Johnny Boufarhat, the company emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when conferences, trade shows, professional gatherings, and community events rapidly shifted from physical venues to digital platforms. Its principal event product provided tools for organizers to create virtual conferences, manage attendee access, support presentations and networking, and connect participants through online interactions. The platform was designed to reproduce several elements of an in-person event in a browser-based environment. Participants could move between event areas, attend sessions, meet other attendees, exchange virtual business cards, and receive information about their connections after an event. This combination of livestreaming, audience participation, networking, and event administration helped Hopin differentiate itself from narrower video-conferencing services that primarily focused on meetings or webinars. Demand increased sharply as organizations sought alternatives to canceled or postponed physical events. Hopin expanded rapidly and raised more than $1 billion from investors including Accel, IVP, Coatue Management, Northzone, and Salesforce Ventures. Its reported peak valuation reached approximately $7.8 billion in August 2021, making it one of the most highly valued private software companies associated with the pandemic-era digital-events boom. The company operated as a fully remote organization and did not maintain a conventional office address in its earlier period. The market changed significantly in 2022 as vaccination programs expanded, physical events resumed, and customers reassessed spending on online-event infrastructure. Hopin carried out multiple rounds of layoffs as demand for some virtual-event products weakened. The company subsequently reorganized its portfolio around other video products, including StreamYard, a livestreaming and broadcasting service, and Streamable, a video-hosting and sharing platform. In August 2023, Hopin sold the assets of its events business to RingCentral. The transaction included event technology, customers, and engineering and product teams associated with the unit. Around the same period, the company conducted a shareholder buyback reported at more than $500 million, and Johnny Boufarhat stepped down as chief executive. After the events-asset sale, Hopin continued operating its livestreaming and video-hosting products, although its business was substantially smaller and differently focused than during its online-events expansion. Hopin moved its headquarters to the United States and closed its UK corporate entity in February 2024. In April 2024, Bending Spoons acquired Hopin. The acquisition placed the brand and its remaining product operations under the Italian technology company, while the RingCentral transaction remained the key disposition of Hopin's original virtual-events business. Hopin is therefore best understood as a private enterprise-software brand whose history spans rapid pandemic-era expansion, contraction after the return of in-person events, divestiture of its events platform, and ownership by Bending Spoons.

Hopin was founded in 2020 by Johnny Boufarhat as a software company serving the emerging market for online events. Its creation coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, when organizers of conferences, exhibitions, professional meetings, and community gatherings needed digital alternatives to physical venues. Hopin developed a browser-based platform intended to combine live presentations, attendee management, networking, and event discovery in one environment. The product allowed participants to attend online sessions, interact with other attendees, exchange virtual business cards, and receive a summary of their event connections. Its design attempted to reproduce the movement and social interaction of a physical event through multiple digital spaces rather than treating every gathering as a single video call. This helped Hopin attract organizations seeking a more complete virtual-event experience. The company expanded rapidly during the pandemic-era surge in demand for remote collaboration and online programming. It raised more than $1 billion from a group of venture and growth investors, including Accel, IVP, Coatue Management, Northzone, and Salesforce Ventures. Its reported valuation peaked at approximately $7.8 billion in August 2021. Hopin was also notable for operating as a fully remote company without a traditional office address. Conditions became less favorable in 2022. As in-person events returned, customers reduced or reconsidered spending on large-scale virtual-event platforms. Hopin responded with multiple rounds of layoffs and a reassessment of its product portfolio. The company continued to operate video products, including StreamYard for livestreaming and broadcasting and Streamable for video hosting and sharing, while the original event business faced a smaller addressable market than during the height of the pandemic. In August 2023, Hopin sold the assets of its events unit to RingCentral. The transaction included the unit's technology, customers, and engineering and product teams. Johnny Boufarhat stepped down as chief executive, and Hopin completed a shareholder buyback reported at more than $500 million. Following the divestiture, the company continued with StreamYard and Streamable rather than operating primarily as the broad virtual-events platform that had driven its earlier valuation. Hopin moved its headquarters to the United States and closed its UK corporate entity in February 2024. Bending Spoons acquired the company in April 2024. The acquisition marked the latest stage in Hopin's transition from a rapidly expanding pandemic-era events platform to a smaller video-software business under new ownership. The events technology and related teams sold to RingCentral are separate from the remaining Hopin operations acquired by Bending Spoons.

1. 2024United States headquarters and Bending Spoons acquisition

   Hopin moved its headquarters to the United States, closed its UK entity, and was acquired by Bending Spoons.

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2. 2023Events business assets sold to RingCentral

   Hopin sold its events-unit technology, customers, and engineering and product teams to RingCentral.

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3. 2022Layoffs and business contraction

   The company conducted multiple rounds of layoffs as physical events resumed and online-event demand declined.

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4. 2021Pandemic-era expansion and peak valuation

   Hopin raised more than $1 billion and reached a reported peak valuation of approximately $7.8 billion as demand for virtual events grew.

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5. 2020Hopin is founded

   Johnny Boufarhat founded Hopin as a technology company focused on online events and virtual attendee interaction.

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Leading platform for immersive virtual and hybrid events.

• Hopin EventsVirtual event platform2020

  Hopin's original flagship platform was designed for online conferences, meetings, exhibitions, and other organized gatherings. It combined live sessions with event registration, attendee navigation, networking, virtual business-card exchange, and post-event connection summaries. The product gained substantial adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic, when organizations needed to replace or supplement in-person events. Its event-business assets were sold to RingCentral in 2023.

• StreamYardLivestreaming and broadcasting software

  StreamYard is a livestreaming and video-broadcasting product associated with Hopin's post-events portfolio. It enables creators, organizations, and businesses to produce and distribute live video content through an online workflow. The product remained part of Hopin's continuing operations after the sale of the events unit and was subsequently included in the business acquired by Bending Spoons.

• StreamableVideo hosting and sharing

  Streamable is a video-hosting and sharing service operated within Hopin's remaining product portfolio after the events-business divestiture. It provides online storage and distribution for uploaded video content, serving users who need a straightforward way to host and share clips. Its operations continued after the events unit was sold to RingCentral and later came under Bending Spoons ownership.

• 2024Acquisition by Bending SpoonsM&A

  After selling its events business and retaining video-related products, Hopin entered a new ownership phase.

  What changed. Bending Spoons acquired Hopin.

  Aftermath. Hopin became part of Bending Spoons while continuing its remaining livestreaming and video-hosting operations.

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• 2023Divestiture of the events businessM&A

  The return of physical events reduced demand for some virtual-event services after Hopin's rapid pandemic-era expansion.

  What changed. Hopin sold its events-unit technology, customers, and engineering and product teams to RingCentral.

  Aftermath. Hopin shifted its continuing operations toward StreamYard and Streamable, while Johnny Boufarhat stepped down as chief executive.

  Reported transaction value. $15–50 million (August 2023)

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• 2024Hopin moves its headquarters to the United States and closes its UK entity

  Hopin transferred its headquarters to the United States and closed its UK corporate entity.

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• 2024Bending Spoons acquires Hopin

  Bending Spoons acquired Hopin, taking ownership of the remaining company and its continuing video-related operations.

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• 2023Hopin sells its events business assets to RingCentral

  Hopin sold its events-unit technology, customers, and associated engineering and product teams to RingCentral, substantially changing the scope of the company.

  M&A
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• 2023Johnny Boufarhat steps down as Hopin chief executive

  Founder Johnny Boufarhat left the chief executive role around the time Hopin sold its events business assets and shifted attention toward its remaining video products.

  Leadership change
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• 2023Hopin completes a shareholder buyback reported at more than $500 million

  The company completed a substantial shareholder buyback during the restructuring of its business, with the reported value exceeding $500 million.

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• 2022Hopin conducts layoffs as demand for online events declines

  Hopin carried out several rounds of layoffs as physical events resumed and demand for some virtual-event services fell from pandemic-era levels.

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• 2021Hopin raises more than $1 billion during the virtual-events boom

  Hopin attracted more than $1 billion in funding from investors including Accel, IVP, Coatue Management, Northzone, and Salesforce Ventures as demand for online events expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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• 2021Hopin reaches a reported peak valuation of approximately $7.8 billion

  The company reached its reported peak private-market valuation during the pandemic-era expansion of digital event software.

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1. Hopin