Skillpop
SkillPop is a Charlotte-based community learning platform founded in 2015, offering in-person and virtual classes in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Lake Norman to individual consumers and corporate teams through a curated network of 100+ instructors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersCharlotte, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Skillpop does
SkillPop is a community-powered learning platform founded in 2015 by Haley Bohon and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company curates and delivers in-person classes across three North Carolina metros — Charlotte, Raleigh, and Lake Norman — through a network of 100+ vetted expert instructors. Since inception, SkillPop has run more than 6,000 events and maintains an average rating of 4.9/5.0, indicating strong consumer satisfaction within its niche of experiential, hands-on learning categories such as cooking, art, and craft.
The business operates two distinct revenue streams. The first is a B2C individual class marketplace, with tickets priced at roughly $20-$75+ per class and gift cards available in $30-$100 denominations. The second is "SkillPop for Teams," a B2B offering that delivers team-building and corporate learning experiences for groups of 10 to over 200 participants under custom enterprise pricing. Named enterprise customers include Salesforce and Lowe's. In 2025, SkillPop extended its footprint with an "Anywhere" virtual class option, enabling participation beyond its physical markets. The company does not currently operate a subscription model, relying instead on transactional bookings and gift card purchases.
SkillPop has raised only $120,000 in disclosed funding (from Techstars in April 2018), suggesting a capital-efficient, largely bootstrapped operating model. Headcount sits in the 11-50 range, consistent with a small, established regional lifestyle/scaleup rather than a venture-backed hyper-growth business. The company reached its 10-year operating milestone in 2025, indicating durable niche positioning in the experiential learning market.
Skillpop firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Skillpop
- Legal name
- SkillPop, Inc.
- Website
- https://skillpop.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SkillPop is a Charlotte-based community learning platform founded in 2015, offering in-person and virtual classes in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Lake Norman to individual consumers and corporate teams through a curated network of 100+ instructors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Skillpop industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Adult Education and In-Person Workshop Platform
- NAICS
- Fine Arts Schools (61161)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Games, Hobbies & Collectibles (Board Games, Chess, Model Building) (EDAAAGAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Membership Communities with Learning (Community-Led Education) (MPACALAF)
Keywords
Where Skillpop is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlotte
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Skillpop business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Individual Class Tickets: One-time ticket sales for in-person classes ranging from $20-$75+ per person. Classes cover diverse topics including crafts, cooking, business skills, and creative hobbies.
- Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold at $30, $50, $75, and $100 denominations. Gift cards never expire and can be applied to any class or shop items.
- Corporate Team Events: B2B service offering team building, training, and professional development events. Quoted pricing based on group size (10-200+) and class selection. Includes recurring booking options with consulting and exclusive discounts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Classes typically priced $20-$75 per person |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Corporate team events - custom pricing |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Gift cards in fixed denominations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Skillpop product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SkillPop operates a community-powered learning platform that connects curious adults with vetted local expert instructors for hands-on, in-person classes across arts, crafts, cooking, business, and personal growth topics in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Lake Norman. It sells individual class tickets (typically $20-$75+), fixed-denomination gift cards, and customized corporate team-building and professional development events for groups of 10-200+.
Product overview
SkillPop is a community-powered learning platform offering in-person classes and workshops. The core offering consists of Individual Classes spanning arts, crafts, cooking, photography, and professional development topics, plus SkillPop for Teams providing corporate team building and training services for groups. Gift Cards serve as an add-on product allowing users to purchase class credits in fixed denominations. The platform operates in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Lake Norman, with over 6,000 events hosted since 2015.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Individual Classes
Quantifiable outcome
- 4.9/5.0 average customer rating across all classes
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Skillpop
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Skillpop technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Skillpop partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Lost Worlds Brewing - Charlotte TaproomminorVenue partner hosting classes at their Charlotte location. Used for classes like Backyard Chicken Basics.
- The Auto PourminorCharlotte venue partner hosting wine and cocktail tasting events.
- The Foodie SchoolminorCooking class venue partner in Fort Mill, SC hosting culinary workshops.
- Canteen @ Camp North EndminorCharlotte venue partner at Camp North End hosting arts and crafts workshops.
- Pink Confetti DesignsminorFloral design instructor partner teaching floral arranging workshops for SkillPop.
- Aura & EmberminorCandle and perfume making instructor (Christi Kisela) who founded Aura & Ember. Teaches soy candle and perfume making workshops.
- Queen's Orders HoneyminorBeekeeping instructor (Justin Orders) who owns Queen's Orders Honey. Teaches intro to beekeeping classes.
- Scottie's Flower TruckminorFloral design instructor (Jenna Jeslis) who owns Scottie's Flower Truck. Teaches floral arranging workshops in Raleigh.
- The Secret ChocolatierminorChocolate tasting workshop instructor from small family business The Secret Chocolatier.
- The Architecture of StoryminorWriting instructor (Meg Rosenthal) who founded The Architecture of Story. Teaches novel writing workshops.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Skillpop competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CourseHorse: CourseHorse operates a marketplace for in-person local classes and workshops across multiple U.S. cities — directly mirroring SkillPop's consumer-facing in-person class model with a similar topic mix (arts, crafts, cooking, professional development) and self-serve booking.
- ClassBento: ClassBento is a workshop and experience marketplace focused on hands-on classes in crafts, food, and creative hobbies. It is one of the closest direct comparables to SkillPop in terms of curated in-person experiences, gift cards, and venue partnerships.
- TakeLessons: TakeLessons is a marketplace connecting learners with local instructors across a wide range of subjects. It overlaps with SkillPop's instructor-network-driven, in-person/local class model and its beginner-friendly positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Airbnb Experiences: Airbnb Experiences is a large-scale marketplace for bookable local activities hosted by locals — covering many of the same workshop, craft, and food categories as SkillPop but at vastly greater scale and with global distribution.
- ClassPass: ClassPass is a subscription-based platform aggregating fitness and experience classes. While fitness-led, its expansion into broader studio and workshop bookings overlaps with SkillPop's consumer experience marketplace.
- MasterClass: MasterClass is a premium online learning platform taught by renowned experts. It competes for SkillPop's hobby- and skill-learning audience, though it operates online rather than in-person and at much higher price points.
- Atlas Obscura Experiences: Atlas Obscura offers bookable in-person experiences and workshops led by local experts. It overlaps with SkillPop's positioning around unique, expert-led, community-rooted learning experiences.
Others
- Eventbrite: Eventbrite is a self-service events and ticketing platform. It is not a direct competitor in curated workshops but enables many of the same instructor- and venue-led paid experiences that SkillPop operates.
- Meetup: Meetup facilitates community-driven in-person gatherings and interest-based groups. While free-led, it competes for the same curious-adult, social-learning audience that SkillPop targets with its community-powered framing.
Emerging players
- The Makery: The Makery is a small-scale, locally-rooted hands-on workshop studio offering craft and DIY classes. It mirrors SkillPop's small-team, partner-venue-driven format at a more localized single-market scale.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Skillpop social profiles
Digital presenceSkillpop financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Skillpop leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Skillpop funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Skillpop M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Skillpop
What does Skillpop do?
SkillPop operates a community-powered learning platform that connects curious adults with vetted local expert instructors for hands-on, in-person classes across arts, crafts, cooking, business, and personal growth topics in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Lake Norman. It sells individual class tickets (typically $20-$75+), fixed-denomination gift cards, and customized corporate team-building and professional development events for groups of 10-200+.
Is Skillpop a public or private company?
Skillpop is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Skillpop founded?
Skillpop was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Skillpop based?
Skillpop is headquartered in Charlotte, United States, in the North America region.
How does Skillpop make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Class Tickets are the primary driver. The others are gift Cards and corporate Team Events.
Who are Skillpop's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CourseHorse, ClassBento and TakeLessons. Broad incumbents are Airbnb Experiences, ClassPass, MasterClass and Atlas Obscura Experiences. Others are Eventbrite and Meetup. The Makery is listed as an emerging player.
Does Skillpop have an API?
No public API is recorded for Skillpop.
What industry is Skillpop in?
Skillpop's product category is Adult Education and In-Person Workshop Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAGAN, Games, Hobbies & Collectibles (Board Games, Chess, Model Building), with a secondary code of MPACALAF, Membership Communities with Learning (Community-Led Education). Its NAICS code is 61161 and its SIC code is 8200.