Hoop

Hoop operates as a UK-based, mobile-first platform designed to assist parents in discovering and booking local activities for their children, ranging from infants to 18-year-olds. The company was founded in 2016 by Daniel Bower and Max Jennings, the entrepreneurial duo previously behind VoucherCodes.co.uk. Their journey into this market was sparked by Jennings's personal frustration as a new parent with the fragmented and time-consuming process of finding suitable children's events, which were often scattered across various local noticeboards and websites.

The business functions as a two-sided marketplace. For parents, the app is a free aggregation tool that provides a comprehensive, searchable database of over 100,000 monthly activities, from free events to paid classes. Users can filter options by a child's age, location, price, and time, simplifying the planning process. For the 13,000+ activity organizers, Hoop serves as a digital marketing and booking platform to reach a large, targeted audience of families. The primary revenue stream is a 10% commission taken from all bookings made through the app. This model proved successful, attracting over a million families and securing significant venture capital, including a notable €2.7 million funding round in 2017 led by BGF Ventures.

The platform lists a wide array of options, including baby and toddler groups, drama workshops, sports classes, art sessions, and local festivals. Key features of the app include the ability to see age recommendations, read parent reviews, and, in some cases, book directly with organizers. The company faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic but relaunched in 2022 to continue its mission of connecting children with healthy and engaging activities.

Keywords: family activities, kids events, parenting app, local events, activity booking, child development, marketplace, parent resources, event discovery, children's classes