As we begin the year, I’m more than thrilled to announce that Hopin has acquired video streaming platform StreamYard.
When I first met Geige Vandentop, CEO of StreamYard, in 2019, I knew something was different. Geige’s entrepreneurial laser-focus on providing a simple solution to a complex problem resonated deeply with me as both a developer and an entrepreneur.
He and his co-founder, Dan Briggs, designed StreamYard in a similar way I designed Hopin. We sought to disrupt massive but not very tech-forward industries in a way that made them easy-to-use and valuable for anyone. We both held the belief that a reliable and high-quality product goes a long way in growing customer trust.
Over the following year, we kept in touch, checking in, talking shop and sharing updates. When the pandemic hit, whether we planned for it or not, we found ourselves in a similar situation.
Both Hopin and StreamYard grew exponentially in 2020. StreamYard’s story is fascinating — two engineers grew a software company to $12 million, all on their own. In 2020, they built out their team to 19 and that number expanded to over $30 million. All bootstrapped. Similarly, Hopin, backed by great investors, scaled from zero revenue and six employees to $30 million and 300 employees.
Over the last 12 months, our businesses drew closer. Hopin customers, such as Search Engine Journal, University of Notre Dame, and Messari loved using StreamYard to produce broadcasts inside their events on Hopin. Of the myriad of options that Hopin worked seamlessly with, StreamYard was our customers’ strongest and most preferred solution for their events on Hopin. In fact, the Hopin team found themselves using StreamYard and even recommending that organizers use StreamYard to make their events even more professional and engaging.
One conversation with Geige led to another until we found ourselves speaking about more than just integrating. There was simply too much opportunity to provide mutual value for our customers. Already, our platforms worked seamlessly together and our brands aligned on vision and values. Our teams were both remote-first, fast working, and humble — it was exciting to envision what we could accomplish, not only learning together, but also building together.
This acquisition combines the beautiful video production quality of StreamYard with the full end-to-end live events experience of Hopin. The result? Hopin organizers are able to create events that dazzle their attendees—across every aspect of the experience.
Together, we aim to provide a seamless, high-quality customer experience that makes people, not places, the heart of events.
Going forward, both StreamYard and Hopin users will continue to be able to use the services they know and love as they always have — no abrupt or sudden changes will happen. Only once we begin learning the best way to make the customer experience better will we begin to create a roadmap to bring both product experiences closer together. We look forward to listening and learning together with our communities.
Finally, this is a win for our industry as well. As one company, Hopin+StreamYard will deliver an unrivaled value proposition in the global events market and will help us achieve the ambitious growth goals we aim to achieve in 2021 and beyond.
Please join me in welcoming StreamYard to the Hopin family. I can’t wait to see the magic we create together.
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