Game development is a challenge because of all the coding and graphic design involved. Samantha John founded Hopscotch, a programming language designed for kids. Using her app, kids can create their own digital games and sell them to other users. Samantha pitched her business on Shark Tank and landed a deal with Mark Cuban. As of 2024, Hopscotch is valued at $5 million.
Samantha John’s Background
Samantha John grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and holds a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Columbia University. Her interest in programming began during her senior year of college, when she was creating a website for a student club.
After graduation, Samantha became an entrepreneur-in-residence at the YouWeb incubator. In 2011, she was hired as a junior programmer at Pivotal Labs and was promoted to team lead in less than a year. John co-founded the company with Jocelyn Levitt, a former teacher and entrepreneur from Honolulu, Hawaii.
Founding Hopscotch
Samantha and Jocelyn took up coding after noticing a lack of diversity in the field. Together, they developed a programming language for kids ages 10 to 16.
Instead of using complex codes, they used visual programming. Also, it was the first programming language compatible with mobile touch screen devices. In 2012, they launched Hopscotch for free, initially focusing on attracting users rather than driving revenue.
The startup raised $1.2 million from five venture capital firms in 2013. The company was able to attract users but had trouble making money. They switched to a subscription model, which cut their active user base in half.
Shark Tank Appearance
Samantha John appeared on Shark Tank Season 12 seeking $400,000 in equity. Although Hopscotch had 6,000 paying customers, Samantha was not happy with the current business model.
Samantha gave a great presentation and answered the sharks’ questions confidently. Hopscotch was at a crossroads, the number of active users was declining, but they were still profitable.
The Sharks admired the founders’ passion but were concerned about declining customer numbers. Mark Cuban was already a customer and loved it! Cuban negotiated intensely and eventually agreed to invest $550,000 for an 11% stake.
After Shark Tank
After the show aired, Hopscotch’s website traffic surged, and its downloads from the Apple App Store grew 500%. Hopscotch also appeared in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Wired. The deal with Cuban was done quickly.
Hopscotch currently has more than 200,000 active users, with kids creating 38 million games on the platform. The company has launched a merchandise store that sells everything from T-shirts, notebooks, stickers, bags to phone cases.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Samantha left Hopscotch in November 2023, so she may have sold the company. Currently, she is the owner of SJ Technologies and lives in Puerto Rico.
The kids coding app has about 14,000 reviews and a 4.5-star rating on the App Store. The company is slowly turning things around and has an estimated $2 million in annual revenue. The hype for the app has faded since the Shark Tank appearance, but the business remains profitable and remains one of the most popular kids coding apps.
Categories: Shark Tank
Source: dut.edu.vn
