Hoplr

What Hoplr does

Hoplr NV is a Belgian software company founded in 2014 by Jennick Scheerlinck and Jonas Heirwegh, operating a private, geographically-bounded neighbourhood social network available via web (hoplr.com) and native iOS/Android applications. The platform creates closed, address-verified neighbourhood scopes in which verified residents can introduce themselves, share and borrow items, request help, organise activities, exchange alerts, and access local social capital; 1.2M+ registered citizens across 2,500 active neighbourhoods and 78% weekly active engagement underpin the consumer side. The company monetises exclusively through B2B subscriptions: a paid public-sector service dashboard (services.hoplr.com / dashboard.hoplr.com) licensed to 250+ municipalities, utility companies, and civic organisations across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Turkey, plus a separate 'Hoplr for Groups' offering for associations. The platform is GDPR-native, ISO 27001:2022 certified, WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformant, and explicitly ad-free and no-data-resale, positioning it as a European privacy-first alternative to global social networks. Hoplr's enterprise go-to-market is sales-led (demos, case studies, partner referrals via investors Matexi and Belfius), while citizen adoption is driven virally through municipal launch campaigns and address-verified invite codes.

Name

Hoplr

Legal name

Hoplr N.V.

Website

https://hoplr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hoplr is a Belgian software company operating a private, geographically-bounded neighbourhood social network for residents and a SaaS dashboard for 250+ municipalities across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Turkey.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neighborhood social networking and citizen participation platform

NAICS

Taxi and Ridesharing Services (48531)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local & Neighborhood Communities (BPAMABAG)

Keywords

• Neighbourhood social network
• Citizen participation platform
• Local government software
• Community engagement tools
• Digital neighbourhood app

Headquarters

HQ city

Lokeren

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Public-sector licence subscriptions: Hoplr "provides licenses to parties active in the public sector" and sells access to a paying service dashboard used by local authorities, utility companies, project developers and civic organizations for neighbourhood-oriented communication, community work and citizen participation. The Code of Ethics references "about two hundred local governments and public sector organizations" as customers. Recurring annual licences; no advertising or data resale.
2. Hoplr for Groups (organisations and associations): Separate "Hoplr for Groups" product offering for organisations and associations with shared messaging, member lists, private chat, activity organisation and file sharing — sold as a paid offering alongside the public-sector licence.
3. Free citizen tier (freemium / loss-leader): Citizens use hoplr.com and the iOS/Android apps free of charge, monetised indirectly through the public-sector licence model rather than advertising or data monetisation. Hoplr explicitly states it will never sell personal data.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hoplr provides a private, geographically demarcated neighbourhood social network accessible via web and native iOS/Android apps where verified residents connect, share and borrow items, ask for help, organise activities, and receive alerts. It monetises by licensing a paid service dashboard (services.hoplr.com) to local governments, utility companies, and civic organisations for neighbourhood-oriented communication, citizen participation projects, AI-powered topic and sentiment analysis, and SROI impact reporting.

Product overview

Hoplr offers a unified platform-plus-modules architecture centred on its core product: the Hoplr Neighbourhood Social Network, a private, geographically demarcated social network accessible via web and native iOS/Android mobile apps. The core platform lets residents meet neighbours, share and borrow items, ask for help, organise activities, and receive alerts from their municipality. The Hoplr Dashboard (Hoplr for Public Sector) extends the platform with paid tools for local governments and organisations, including citizen participation features (polls, surveys, participation projects) and an Impact Dashboard with SROI reporting and AI Topic & Sentiment analysis. Hoplr for Groups (Communities) is an add-on module that lets associations and organisations use the same infrastructure for member messaging, file sharing, private chats, and activity planning. Supporting assets include the Hoplr Blog (case studies, whitepapers) and the Hoplr Help Center. The offering is advertising-free, GDPR-compliant, and serves more than 1,200,000 registered citizens and 250+ municipalities across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Turkey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hoplr for Groups: A separately branded offering for organisations, allowing them to share messages and files with members, manage member lists, private chat, organise activities, share files and integrate with other tools.
• Hoplr Dashboard
• Hoplr for the public sector (services.hoplr.com)

Products and services

• Hoplr Neighbourhood Social Network Private, geographically demarcated neighbourhood social network where verified residents get to know neighbours, share and borrow items, ask for help, organise activities, and receive alerts from their city or municipality. Accessible via the Hoplr web application and native iOS/Android apps. Used by more than 1 million households across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Turkey.
• Hoplr Dashboard (Hoplr for the Public Sector) Paying service dashboard for public-sector organisations (local authorities, utility services, project developers, civic organisations) enabling neighbourhood-oriented communication, citizen participation projects (polls, surveys, referenda), AI Topic & Sentiment analysis, one-click bulk export, and an Impact Dashboard with SROI reporting.
• Hoplr for Groups Sub-brand offering for organisations and associations allowing them to share messages and files with all members, manage member lists, start private chats or chat groups, organise activities, share documents (PDFs and other files), and connect with integrations.
• Hoplr Mobile App (iOS & Android) Native iOS and Android applications providing full access to the Hoplr neighbourhood social network on mobile devices, including group chats, neighbourhood alerts, activity organisation, push notifications, and private messaging.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 60% household adoption in cities running launch campaigns
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ICTRechtcoreTechnology or IntegrationDutch privacy and IT-law firm that audits Hoplr's platform and has issued the "Privacy Verified" certificate displayed across Hoplr's websites. The privacy page explicitly states: "In collaboration with ICTRecht" alongside Hoplr's digital security commitments.
• IntigriticoreTechnology or IntegrationEthical hacking platform used by Hoplr as part of its digital security programme. The Dutch About page states Hoplr "werken we onder andere samen met het Ethical Hacking Platform Intigriti" to continuously probe and harden its applications.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• PlaceSpeak: Location-verified civic engagement platform for public consultations. Comparable address-verified participation model aimed at municipal and government buyers.
• CONSUL DEMOCRACY: Open-source citizen participation platform forked from Madrid's Decide Madrid. Increasingly used by European cities as a free alternative to paid citizen-engagement suites like Hoplr's dashboard.
• Decidim: Open-source civic participation platform used by many European municipalities. Comparable participation tools (polls, proposals, assemblies) that compete with Hoplr's public-sector dashboard offering.

Direct peers

• Streetlife: UK-based neighbourhood social platform with closed geographic scopes and council partnerships. Comparable closed-network, privacy-first approach and municipal GTM targeting European cities.
• Front Porch Forum: US-based neighbourhood email and forum network organised by geographic boundaries. Closely comparable neighbourhood-scope community model and municipal engagement approach.
• Nextdoor: Global neighbourhood social network connecting verified residents at the street level. Directly comparable product (address-verified neighbourhood feeds, alerts, help requests) and the dominant incumbent Hoplr positions against in Europe.
• Bang the Table: Australian-founded civic engagement SaaS used by municipalities worldwide. Comparable B2G sales motion, surveys, polls and reporting to municipal customers.
• Buurtlink: Dutch neighbourhood platform run by Togetherwork/Swec, similar to Hoplr in concept. Closest direct competitor in Hoplr's home Dutch-speaking market.
• CitizenLab: Belgian civic participation platform offering polls, surveys, ideation and budgeting tools for municipalities. Overlaps with Hoplr's public-sector dashboard and citizen-participation value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Meta (Facebook Groups): Global social network with neighbourhood-based Facebook Groups. Represents the open, large-scale incumbent Hoplr explicitly differentiates against via closed geographic scopes and no advertising.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hoplr
• Facebookfacebook.com/hoplr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/5090021

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hoplr