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Image courtesy of Howbout
- Howbout is a social calendar application designed to facilitate planning among friends.
- The startup, based in the UK, successfully secured $8 million in Series A funding led by Goodwater Capital.
- This article features the 12-page pitch deck that Howbout utilized to attract investment as a consumer-social startup in 2024.
In many friend circles, there’s often one individual who takes charge of keeping the group chat active and organizing gatherings.
This role has been aptly named by Howbout as Chief Friendship Officers.
“This person—often a woman—holds significant influence within her friendship circle,” stated Neil Tanna, CEO of Howbout, during an interview with Business Insider. “She acts as a micro-influencer, constantly messaging in group chats to coordinate meetups. Her efforts are frequently overlooked; without her initiative, these friendships would likely dwindle due to lack of interaction.”
The app targets these Chief Friendship Officers as its primary early adopters. Recently, Howbout announced it had raised $8 million in Series A funding led by Chi-Hua Chien from Goodwater Capital.
Founded in 2020, this UK-based startup allows users to synchronize their calendars from platforms like Apple or Google with the app. This feature enables them to share their availability and plan events with friends seamlessly. Users can view when their friends are free and utilize features such as voting on plans, chatting about events, scheduling future activities, and sharing photos or videos from outings within the app.
Users have control over how much information they wish to disclose on the platform. According to Tanna, Gen-Z users tend to be more open about sharing their entire schedules compared to older demographics.
“Sharing our time socially is one of the most effective ways we can stay connected with those we care about,” Tanna explained while emphasizing that Howbout does not aim to compete directly with existing time management applications but rather offers a unique social experience for planning interactions.
Tanna mentioned that Howbout is nearing 5 million users and currently holds the No. 15 position on Apple’s App Store under “Social Networking,” as recorded on October 10th.
The company is concentrating on user retention while targeting young adults rather than teenagers or college students for its demographic focus. “We quickly realized our product isn’t tailored for students; adults value time differently—it’s not just another commodity,” he added.
An example of another social application catering specifically towards young adults is Pie which recently completed its own Series A funding round aimed at individuals aged between 22-34 years old.
While still pre-revenue status-wise, Howbout is exploring various potential revenue models including subscriptions or freemium options where certain features may require payment access alongside forming strategic partnerships; already established collaborations include Tinder and Sony Music according to Tanna’s insights into growth strategies amidst challenges faced by consumer-focused social apps today.
“The key lies in developing engaging features that address real needs,” he remarked regarding ongoing development efforts at his company.”
A Closer Look at Howabout’s Pitch Deck
Explore how they presented themselves:
Please note: Some slides have been modified for public viewing purposes.
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