Hopscotch Shark Tank Update | Hopscotch Net Worth

Hopscotch is an educational application featured on Season 12 of Shark Tank. It was created by Samantha John and Jocelyn Leavitt, founders of Hopscotch Technologies, to teach children how to code through a fun, interactive platform.

Hopscotch offers a learning experience where children can learn to develop their games, making the process of acquiring coding skills educational, enjoyable, and engaging.

The application provides a visual programming environment that simplifies the coding process. The user interface (UI) is simple and user-friendly, designed for children to navigate easily.

It has an intuitive design filled with colourful graphics that aim to maintain the interest of its young users. The app utilizes a drag-and-drop system where children can select different characters, monsters, and animals and use customized commands to animate them.

Hopscotch is unique because it doesn’t require children to learn intricate coding languages. They create scripts by dragging and dropping blocks, which are then executed to run their created games. The purpose of this approach is to demystify coding and foster creativity.

Hopscotch’s other great feature is that it is designed for children ages 9-16, but it also remains engaging for adults who want to learn about coding or support their children’s learning. Users can choose from various subscription plans, making it affordable and accessible.

Hopscotch’s appearance on Shark Tank led to a successful deal with Mark Cuban, who offered $500k for 11% equity after negotiations. This investment has contributed to the growth and popularity of Hopscotch, with over 24 million downloads and 36 million games created on the platform.

Hopscotch is an excellent choice for children to learn coding in a fun and interactive way. It promotes cognitive development and empowers children by providing them with an essential skillset for the future digital world.

It’s an intuitive platform that fosters creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, key competencies required in the 21st-century workforce.

What Is Hopscotch?

Hopscotch is a popular children’s game known and played worldwide. It involves a pattern of squares or rectangles drawn on the ground, usually with chalk or painted on the pavement.

Hopscotch is a classic, globally recognized children’s game that involves a series of squares or rectangles drawn on the ground. This court, often created with chalk or paint on the pavement, contains numbered squares, typically from 1 to 10, but can contain more.

The game begins with a player tossing a small object, such as a stone or beanbag, onto the first square. The player then navigates the course by hopping and skipping the square containing the object. The course requires that you hop on one foot in some places while using both feet in others.

The player turns around when he reaches the end of the course and hops back, collecting the object on the way back. The key to success is avoiding stepping on lines, missing squares, and losing balance.

If the player manages these feats successfully, they continue their next turn by throwing the object into the following square. However, if they falter, it becomes the next player’s turn, and they’ll resume their next turn where they left off.

The ultimate goal is to complete the circuit with the object tossed into each square in order. Victory goes to the first player who accomplishes this for every numbered square.

Here’s how it’s typically played:

• The hopscotch court is drawn with numbered squares from 1 to usually 10, but it can be more.
• The player tosses a small object (like a stone or beanbag) onto the first square.
• The player then hops through the course, skipping the square with the object.
• The player must hop on one foot where the court allows and may use both feet where two squares are side by side.
• Upon reaching the end of the court, the player turns around and hops back through the squares, picking up the object.
• If completed successfully without stepping on a line, missing a square, or losing balance, the player continues their next turn by tossing the object into the next square.
• If the player makes a mistake, it’s the next player’s turn. The first player begins their next turn where they left off.

The goal is to complete the course with the object tossed into each square in order. The first player to finish the course for every numbered square wins the game!

Who Is The Founder Of Hopscotch?

Samantha John and Jocelyn Leavitt founded Hopscotch Technologies. Samantha John, who comes from a programming background, completed her Bachelor’s in Mathematics from Columbia University in the City of New York.

Before founding Hopscotch, she worked as a programmer at Pivotal Labs for a year and spent a year as a Businessperson in Residence in the YouWeb Incubator.

Samantha’s accolades include being recognized as one of the “30 Most Important Women Under 30 in Tech”, making the “Silicon Alley 100” list, and being featured in the “28 Outstanding Women in New York Tech” Awards.

Jocelyn Leavitt, the Co-Founder and CEO of Hopscotch, comes from a corporate background. She received her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and completed an MBA degree in Finance at Columbia Business School.

Her career started as an intern, and she worked as a history teacher for a year at The Island School and The Dalton School. Before Hopscotch, she worked as a subordinate in Los Angeles-based Kennedy Wilson and was a Principal at Greencastle Partners for four years.

Samantha and Jocelyn created Hopscotch because they believe coding is an essential skill for the future. They spent considerable time researching different ideas until they developed a platform to make coding accessible for children.

They believed that programming was becoming the backbone of many companies like Amazon and Google and agreed with Steve Jobs’ sentiment that everyone should know programming because it enhances the power of thinking.

This, coupled with their understanding of the challenges many parents face in teaching their kids to code, inspired them to establish Hopscotch Technologies.

Before appearing on Shark Tank, Hopscotch had already made significant strides. The Hopscotch Kids Coding Learning App was established in 2012 and launched for iPad users in 2013.

Responding to its popularity, they later extended the application to iPhone users. By 2014, about a year after the launch, nearly 2.5 million projects had been created using the app. Hopscotch Technologies had also raised funds in two rounds of venture capital by 2015.

Furthermore, the founder of this start-up was featured in the list of “35 Women Under 35 Who Are Changing the Tech Industry” in 2014, highlighting the impact and potential of Hopscotch even before its Shark Tank debut.

How Was The Shark Tank Pitch Of Hopscotch?

Hopscotch’s founder, Samantha John, appeared on season 12 of Shark Tank seeking an investment of $400,000 for a 4% stake in her company, valuing Hopscotch at $10 million.

She showcased her educational coding app for children, Hopscotch, demonstrating its potential to help kids learn programming skills and start their businesses.

Samantha had each Shark test two games made by children using Hopscotch, impressing them with the quality and creativity of the games produced using her platform.

She then guided the Sharks through programming and developing a game using Hopscotch, aiming to show how fun and straightforward it could be.

She also shared her journey into the world of programming. As someone who initially didn’t believe computers and coding was for her, Samantha was inspired to create Hopscotch after taking a computer science class in college and developing a passion for programming.

Samantha’s goal with Hopscotch was to give every child easy access to fun and engaging programming tools.

At the time of filming, Hopscotch had 200,000 active users per month, with a peak user base of 400,000 active users per month in 2015.

Samantha explained Hopscotch’s financial situation and business model: Hopscotch was initially free, with revenue coming only from in-app purchases.

However, the company eventually adopted a subscription model to avoid financial struggles, charging $8 per month or $80 annually.

Samantha expressed her desire to return to a free model and sought funding to do so, hoping to generate income through in-app purchases instead.

Daymond John was not convinced by Samantha’s business plan and decided not to invest.

Lori Greiner felt she didn’t have the expertise needed to help grow Hopscotch and opted out.

Kevin O’Leary had previous experience in the industry and did not want to get involved again.

Barbara Corcoran admitted she didn’t understand enough about the business or the proposed business model, so she declined.

Only Mark Cuban saw potential in Hopscotch. Cuban, who had used the application with his children and loved it, saw value in the product and was interested in investing.

Mark Cuban offered Samantha $400,000 for a 16% stake in her company, proposing to use his experience in organizing coding camps for minority communities to help Hopscotch grow.

Samantha counter-offered $600,000 for a 5% stake, which Cuban rejected outright. She then proposed $600,000 for a 10% stake. After some negotiation, Cuban agreed to invest $550,000 for an 11% stake in Hopscotch.

Despite securing an agreement on the show, the deal with Mark Cuban did not close after the show. Samantha left Shark Tank feeling positive about Hopscotch’s exposure and potential growth.

Did Hopscotch Get a deal on Shark Tank?

Yes, Hopscotch did get a deal on Shark Tank. Samantha John, the founder of Hopscotch, appeared on season 12 of Shark Tank seeking $400,000 for a 4% equity stake in her company.

Although Hopscotch already had 6,000 paying users, Samantha wasn’t satisfied with the current business model and sought investment to help the company grow.

During her presentation on the show, Samantha gave a strong pitch and confidently answered questions from the Sharks.

She shared that while the number of active users declined, the company remained profitable. The Sharks admired Samantha’s passion and drive but expressed concerns about the customer decline.

However, Mark Cuban, who was already a customer of Hopscotch and loved the product, engaged in an intense negotiation with Samantha. Ultimately, Mark Cuban agreed to invest $550,000 for an 11% equity stake in Hopscotch. This marked a successful deal for Samantha and her company.

After the episode aired, Hopscotch experienced a significant boost in website traffic and saw a 500% increase in downloads on Apple’s App Store. The company also received media coverage in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Wired.

Hopscotch has over 200,000 active users, and kids have created 36 million games on the platform. The company has expanded its offerings by launching a merch store, selling various products like t-shirts, notebooks, stickers, bags, and phone cases.

On the Apple App Store, Hopscotch has a high rating of 4.5 stars from more than 13,700 reviews. While the initial hype from Shark Tank has faded, Hopscotch remains one of the most popular coding apps for kids and continues to generate an estimated $2 million in annual revenue.

What Happened To Hopscotch After Shark Tank?

Post Shark Tank, Hopscotch saw significant growth in its user base even though the deal with Mark Cuban didn’t materialize. The application’s appearance on the show dramatically boosted its popularity, with downloads increasing by a staggering 500% in less than a year following Samantha’s Shark Tank appearance.

Hopscotch closed 2021 with an impressive $3 million in annual revenue. Further adding to their offerings, Hopscotch introduced a Game Development Workshop in 2022.

This workshop was priced at $399 per student and aimed to provide kids with personalized lessons, expert tutors, and a fun, instructive environment to learn programming and game development.

The company received widespread recognition for making programming accessible and enjoyable for children. Media outlets such as The New York Times, Wired, The Wall Street Journal, and more featured Hopscotch, further increasing its exposure.

The company also won several awards for its child-friendly approach to coding education. Hopscotch opened an online store where programming-themed items, including t-shirts, phone cases, bags, notebooks, and more, can be purchased.

The Hopscotch app has been downloaded over 24 million times on the App Store. Hopscotch’s upward trajectory continues with the launch of new game development workshops and updates to its application.

As of 2023, the company has grown significantly to achieve over $5 million in annual revenue. Despite not having a Shark as a partner, the company continues to thrive, providing children around the globe with a fun and friendly environment to learn programming.

Hopscotch Shark Tank Update

After the appearance on Shark Tank, things have gone well for Hopscotch. The deal they negotiated with billionaire Shark Mark Cuban did close. According to Hopscotch founder Samantha John, Mark Cuban has proven an excellent investor.

Samantha shared in a post-Shark Tank video for BuzzFeed that Mark Cuban is one of the most involved investors she’s ever had. He always responds to emails and frequently sends new ideas for Hopscotch.

Following the broadcast of their Shark Tank episode, Hopscotch saw a significant uptick in its user base, experiencing a 500% increase in users. This surge in interest undoubtedly contributed to the growth and success of the company.

While exact figures on the company’s current revenues are not publicly available due to its status as a privately held company, various estimation services project that Hopscotch’s revenues will be around $2.2 million for 2022 since appearing on Shark Tank, Hopscotch has expanded its team, further indicating business growth.

With Mark Cuban’s backing and their team’s evident expansion, Hopscotch is on a successful trajectory. The software company continues its mission of encouraging children to venture into the exciting programming world.

Is Hopscotch Still In Business?

Our research shows that Hopscotch is still in business. Since appearing on Shark Tank Season 12, the company has continued to thrive and grow. The kid’s coding app has seen a 500% increase in downloads since its appearance on the show.

The app, which teaches kids to code by enabling them to create games and share them with others, is available for download on Apple devices and can be trialled online.

Although the founder, Samantha John, had discussed the possibility of moving away from a subscription model and introducing an in-app currency during her pitch on the show, as of the latest update, Hopscotch continues to operate with its subscription-focused business model. They offer a free 7-day trial for those interested in sampling the program.

Furthermore, Hopscotch offers educators free lesson plans and accounts via their website. This is particularly useful as many educational programs today focus on teaching children coding.

So yes, Hopscotch is still in business and has flourished since its appearance on Shark Tank.

What Is the Net Worth Of Hopscotch?

According to our research, the net worth of Hopscotch is estimated to be $3 million. The valuation of Hopscotch was $5 million after securing an investment from Mark Cuban on Shark Tank.

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