hobnob
Hobnob is a mobile-first event planning and group coordination platform offering invitations, RSVPs, ticketing, scheduling polls, and community spaces, primarily serving consumers, non-profits, activity groups, and small organizations globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersHonolulu, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
hobnob firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- hobnob
- Legal name
- Zazzle Holdings Inc.
- Website
- https://hobnob.app
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hobnob is a mobile-first event planning and group coordination platform offering invitations, RSVPs, ticketing, scheduling polls, and community spaces, primarily serving consumers, non-profits, activity groups, and small organizations globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where hobnob is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Honolulu
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
hobnob business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Freemium Subscription: Free version with basic features; paid subscriptions unlock premium features for additional capabilities
- Subscription Recurring: Monthly or annual subscription tiers with automatic renewal for enhanced features
- Ticketing Transaction Fees: 5% plus $0.75 per ticket sold for paid events; free tickets have no additional fees
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free version with basic features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Paid subscription with premium features |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Ticketing transaction fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
hobnob product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hobnob is a mobile-first event invitation and community coordination platform that lets individuals and groups send text-message invitations, collect RSVPs, run time polls, build sign-up lists, post announcements, sell tickets via Stripe, and host persistent community Spaces for ongoing group chat and media sharing. The product is offered as a freemium consumer app distributed through the iOS App Store and Google Play, with paid subscription upgrades and a 5% + $0.75 transaction fee on paid tickets.
Product overview
Hobnob is a unified event planning and group coordination platform that offers six integrated products: Events (RSVP management and invitations), Spaces (community dashboard for ongoing group communications), Time Polls (scheduling coordination), Sign Up Lists (potluck and volunteer organization), Announcements (flyer creation), and Ticketing (ticket sales with Stripe payment processing). The platform enables users to send invitations and updates via text message, which reportedly generates 17% higher response rates, and provides sophisticated design tools for creating customized invitations and flyers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Events Event invitation product that lets hosts create customizable invitations, send them via text/email/social, manage RSVPs and reminders, and publish a free event website. Targeted at individuals, families, and group organizers planning personal or community events.
- Spaces Persistent community dashboard for real-life groups that combines group chat, event coordination, photo and media sharing, and member management, distinct from one-off event pages. Built for ongoing group communications such as clubs, ministries, schools, and friend groups.
- Time Polls Scheduling tool that allows a group to vote on the best date and time for an event, with no account or download required for participants to cast a vote.
- Sign Up Lists
- Announcements Flyer and announcement creation tool that lets users spread the word about special occasions, accomplishments, or gatherings via text, email, or social media, with free website generation.
- Ticketing Event ticketing feature that lets users create events, sell tickets, and collect payments via Stripe, with fast cash-out options and a 5% + $0.75 transaction fee per paid ticket (free tickets carry no additional fee).
Quantifiable outcome
- 17% higher response rate for text message invites compared to other methods
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use hobnob
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
hobnob technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Feature6 records
hobnob partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- ZazzlecoreHobnob has been acquired by Zazzle, the world's leading platform for custom products and design. This partnership aims to expand Hobnob's capabilities by integrating Zazzle's professional design tools and custom product offerings. Users will soon see new invite designs powered by Zazzle, with future plans for custom products, décor, and keepsakes connected to events.
- StripecoreStripe serves as the payment processing provider for Hobnob's ticketing feature. Set up once, sellers can accept payments globally through Stripe's established payment infrastructure. Enables fast cash-out as tickets are sold rather than waiting days after events.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
hobnob competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Evite: Evite is one of the longest-standing digital invitation platforms serving personal and SMB events. It competes directly with Hobnob's Events and Announcements products across birthdays, holidays, and casual gatherings.
- Partiful: Partiful is a mobile-first event invitation and RSVP app popular with younger consumers. It overlaps directly with Hobnob's Events product, particularly around casual social gatherings, QR-code RSVPs, and a modern consumer aesthetic.
- Eventbrite: Eventbrite is the dominant consumer and SMB ticketing and event-discovery platform. Hobnob competes most directly with Eventbrite's ticketing product, offering comparable transaction-fee pricing (5% + $0.75) with a privacy-first, mobile-first positioning.
- Splash: Splash is an event marketing and management platform for branded events, ticketing, and RSVPs. It overlaps with Hobnob's Events and Ticketing products, with greater depth on event marketing analytics and landing pages.
- Goldstar: Goldstar is a ticketing marketplace focused on leisure, entertainment, and local events. It competes with Hobnob's Ticketing product in the paid-events space, particularly around concerts, comedy, and local entertainment.
- Paperless Post: Paperless Post offers premium digital invitations and event management for both personal and professional use. Its design-led positioning and ticketing features make it a direct competitor to Hobnob's Events and Ticketing products.
- Punchbowl: Punchbowl provides digital invitations, RSVPs, and ecards for personal and family events. It competes directly with Hobnob in the consumer invitation and RSVP space, particularly around birthday, holiday, and family-oriented events.
Emerging players
- GroupMe: GroupMe (Microsoft) provides group messaging and lightweight coordination for clubs, friend groups, and small organizations. It overlaps with Hobnob's Spaces product around chat-based community coordination, though it lacks RSVP and ticketing depth.
Broad incumbents
- Meetup: Meetup is a broad community-group platform for organizing recurring in-person gatherings and hobby clubs. It overlaps with Hobnob's Spaces and activity-group use cases, particularly around book clubs, hiking groups, and similar recurring meetups.
- Bizzabo: Bizzabo is an enterprise-grade event experience platform serving conferences and corporate events. While more B2B-focused, it overlaps with Hobnob's paid Events and Ticketing products in the SMB and mid-market segments.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
hobnob social profiles
Digital presencehobnob compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
hobnob financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
hobnob leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
hobnob funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
hobnob 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 hobnob
What does hobnob do?
Hobnob is a mobile-first event invitation and community coordination platform that lets individuals and groups send text-message invitations, collect RSVPs, run time polls, build sign-up lists, post announcements, sell tickets via Stripe, and host persistent community Spaces for ongoing group chat and media sharing. The product is offered as a freemium consumer app distributed through the iOS App Store and Google Play, with paid subscription upgrades and a 5% + $0.75 transaction fee on paid tickets.
Is hobnob a public or private company?
hobnob is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was hobnob founded?
hobnob was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is hobnob based?
hobnob is headquartered in Honolulu, United States, in the North America region.
How does hobnob make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Freemium Subscription is the primary driver. The others are subscription Recurring and ticketing Transaction Fees.
Who are hobnob's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Evite, Partiful, Eventbrite, Splash, Goldstar, Paperless Post and Punchbowl. GroupMe is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Meetup and Bizzabo.
Does hobnob have an API?
No public API is recorded for hobnob.