20VC: Hopin, The Breakout Startup of 2020 on Scaling from 10 to 230 People and $174M in Funding in just 13 Months, The 3 Phases of Startup Scaling, How To Lead Remote Teams Effectively, The Future of Events Post-COVID and more

Virtual Events

The future of virtual events is a topic of great interest as we transition to a post-COVID world. Johnny Boufarhat explains that while large-scale physical events may return with a hybrid approach, many companies will continue to host virtual events due to their cost-effectiveness and ability to attract better guests without travel constraints 1. He emphasizes that virtual events have democratized access to speakers, making it easier for organizations to engage with high-profile individuals 2.

Online events kind of ruin it, but specifically when it comes to customer engagement, community events, etc., where that's not their prime revenue, but it's a big use case for them to either build revenue or something else community, we think it'll stay online and it'll definitely grow.

--- Johnny Boufarhat

This shift is particularly beneficial for companies focused on customer engagement and community building, suggesting a lasting role for virtual events in these areas.

   

Product Expansion

Hopin's future is not limited to virtual events, as Johnny Boufarhat outlines a vision for product expansion into broader markets. He plans to adopt a multi-product approach, similar to Atlassian or Salesforce, by developing products that facilitate connections across various sectors 3. This strategy includes potential acquisitions and the introduction of new products that align with Hopin's core mission of connecting people globally 4.

The broader vision of the company is to connect people. So whatever, the best way to do that or the best products that we need to build to enable that to happen is where we're going to be.

--- Johnny Boufarhat

This ambitious roadmap aims to position Hopin as a leader not only in virtual events but also in the wider "connection" space.