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When you hear the word hopscotch, what comes to mind? If it’s the classic kids game, that is correct. But, that’s not the case here. In this case, Hopscotch is the name of a kids coding game. It made its Shark Tank debut on Season 12, episode 12 on February 26, 2021. So, keep reading below for five facts on the company and founder.
Hopscotch Technologies is still going strong and in business following their episode on Shark Tank. Co-Founder, Samantha John has been dedicated to her company full time since 2012. She is celebrating almost 12 years of business this year. According to her LinkedIn, she says “Hopscotch’s mission is to expose every kid to the powerful ideas of computing. We make an app where kids learn to code by creating their own games.”
They have had over 24 million downloads of Hopscotch apps and 36 million games were made by kids! Samantha was also named 30 under 30 from various media outlets including BBC, Business Insider and Elle Magazine. Visit their official website to learn more.
It doesn’t appear that the deal they struck with Mark Cuban ever closed. However, this has not stopped them. Their goal is to teach children how to design their own video game. As of 2022, they reportedly are making $5 million in annual revenue.
1) Samantha John is the brain behind Hopscotch. She’s from Brooklyn, New York. Samantha created Hopscotch as a cool way to help kids learn coding.
2) Samantha is also the co-founder of Hopscotch Technologies, where the coding game was born. She wanted to have an interactive, arcade-style game for kids to play. This would make learning code fun.
3) The user is in control of the experience. You can create your own designs on Hopscotch. You do this while learning computer codes. It’s a two for one: education and fun. What more could kids want? Plus, you can share your work, and play other games. All you have to do is download the app!
4) Surprisingly, Twitter is their most popular social media platform. They have close to 12,000 followers on the app. Though, they have not posted since 2022.
5) Something else unique to their company is that you don’t have to be an expert coder. They have instruction guides, and how-to’s on their website. First timers are always welcome! It’s very user-friendly, making it something all ages can do if desired.
Hopscotch has been featured in various publications including Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, Wired and The New York Times.
When Samantha John entered the Tank, she had quite an aggressive evaluation for her company, Hopscotch, asking $400k for 4%.
| Company | Asking Price |
| Hopscotch | $400,000 for 4% |
Yes. Samantha John received a deal from Mark Cuban for $550,000 for 11% equity.
| Shark Investor | Deal Made |
| Mark Cuban | $500,000 for 11% |
Shark Tank viewers were sounding off on Reddit about the Hopscotch pitch. A few didn’t agree with Mark Cuban’s offer, believing he overpaid for his equity in Samatha John’s company, Hopscotch. Read below to see what they’re saying. Do you agree?
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Check it out below as Samantha John entered the tank and sparks Mark Cuban’s interest!
The app designed to help kids code is definitely kid approved! It received a whopping 4.5 star review on the App Store. The reviews include the following. Here’s what they are saying:
“This app was my first step into the coding world when I was young! I love hopscotch and it truly has encouraged me to learn other coding languages and get involved with programming. I can confidently say that hopscotch not only teaches you about coding, but it teaches kids problem solving, applying math and logic skills, perseverance, patience and so much more.”
“I’m 17 and I still enjoy making games on this app. I have some experience with actual languages like python and swift, but it is so much easier to pick up my phone and make a game using block coding. I wish there were more features and functionality in the language, but it is still the most advanced block coding language I have ever used.”
“This is an amazing app and I am learning a lot from it. If you in anyway hesitant about downloading it…. DON’T BE! If you wanna make games and have fun while coding. This is the app for you!!!!! This is especially great for kids because some games that involve learning bore kids, even if they DO want to learn.”
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Update on Everything Legendary from Shark Tank
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