The Hopscotch app made its debut on “Shark Tank” season 12, which aired in 2021, and was pitched by Samantha John, a programmer with a degree in Applied Mathematics. The app was designed to teach coding to kids in a fun and easy-to-use way, though even adults could benefit from the app’s goal of teaching the basics of coding. A deal for Hopscotch was proposed during its episode of “Shark Tank”, but it appears that deal was never closed.
However, this hasn’t stopped Hopscotch from staying in business and continuing to grow. “Shark Tank” revolves around hopeful entrepreneurs pitching business ideas to a panel of potential investors, known as sharks. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t. Even if a deal appears to be reached during an episode, there is still a due diligence period afterward that may see the deal fall through.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the business won’t succeed, as evidenced by what happened to the CoinOut app from “Shark Tank” season 9. It seems that the Hopscotch app is another one of those stories where the business thrives even without “Shark Tank” backing.
Details about the Hopscotch app deal
Learning how to code was seen as an essential skill by Hopscotch entrepreneur Samantha John. Even though artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly relied on for coding, there have been instances where AI refused to code and told the user to just do it themself. Samantha John felt that coding should be a skill taught to all young kids to help open that career path in the future.
John initially asked for a $400,000 investment with 4% stake in Hopscotch. Though she already had it up and running with users, she wanted the app to be free, but downloads to cost money. This strategy was met with some doubt by the panel. However, Mark Cuban was already familiar with Hopscotch from his children using it.
The final deal reached on the episode was a $550,000 investment for an 11% stake in the company. Though the deal was never finalized, the high visibility of its time on “Shark Tank” still benefitted Hopscotch. Its app downloads rose by 500% in the years after the episode aired, and it is still in business today.
The Hopscotch app’s future
As of this time of writing, Hopscotch has over 24 million downloads from the Apple app store and users have created more than 36 million games with it. It has a 4.5 star rating from over 15,000 reviews and has won multiple awards, including Best Apps for Families from Parent Magazine and Best Educational Technology from Children’s Technology Review.
Hopscotch has also seen coverage in major outlets like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Aside from the app, Hopscotch has a website that appears to be active. It’s a place where those who create games can share them with others. There are glowing reviews from parents and invitations for educators to implement Hopscotch in their classrooms.
A team of five company employees is showcased, with Samantha John being one of two co-founders, and the About page notes transitioning from a VC-funded company to being fully independent. Despite modern AI coding tools that make programming easier, Hopscotch serves as a fun and innovative reminder that coding can be learned at any age and that it is an essential skill for those interested in technology. Giving kids this ability has seemed to prove a successful venture for Hopscotch.
