What Howcast does

Howcast operates a free, ad-supported digital video platform that distributes a library of more than 30,000 short-form instructional how-to videos to a broad consumer audience. The platform is organized into six horizontal categories — Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Food & Drink, Health & Wellness, Home & Garden, and Love & Relationships — and features signature content series such as the Gun Guide (led by police officer Keith Charley), the Memory Techniques series (with memory expert Barry Reitman), and the man-on-the-street 'Dirty Advice from the Dirty Streets of NYC' interview format. Content is delivered on-demand through the howcast.com website, with no paywall, subscription, login, or app presence, and discovery is driven primarily by organic search across long-tail how-to queries.

The platform is powered by BizBudding Ventures using Springwire.ai infrastructure, indicating outsourced hosting and video delivery rather than proprietary in-house engineering at scale. The company is privately held, founded in 2007 by Darlene Liebman and Jason Liebman (CEO), headquartered in New York, and operates with 11-50 employees. No native mobile apps, public APIs, or third-party integrations are offered, and distribution is limited to the owned website.

Howcast's business model is advertising-based and consumer-direct, with all content accessible at no cost. The company has disclosed approximately $11 million in cumulative funding across three rounds in 2008-2009, with Tudor Investments leading the largest $8M round alongside Dace Ventures. No subsequent financing activity, enterprise customers, B2B revenue streams, or new monetization models are documented in the available data, and the site appears to be operating in a maintenance posture with incremental content additions.

Name

Howcast

Legal name

Howcast

Website

https://howcast.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Howcast is a free, ad-supported video platform hosting 30,000+ short-form instructional how-to videos across lifestyle categories, serving broad consumer audiences seeking on-demand tutorials via organic search on howcast.com.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Instructional Video Content

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Motion Picture and Video Distribution (512120)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational Live Streaming Platforms (Classes/Tutorials) (MPACACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Live Streaming & Webcasting Platforms (BPAMAJAB)

Keywords

• How-to videos
• Instructional video content
• Online video tutorials
• Free video guides
• Lifestyle learning videos

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising-supported free content: Howcast provides free access to all instructional videos, generating revenue through advertising on the platform. The platform is described as 'fun, free, and reliable' with no paywall or subscription requirement mentioned.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Howcast operates a free, ad-supported online platform that hosts more than 30,000 instructional how-to videos spanning categories such as Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Food & Drink, Health & Wellness, Home & Garden, and Love & Relationships. Content is delivered as on-demand streaming video and curated guides, including expert-led series (e.g., Gun Guide, Memory Techniques) and street-interview style series (e.g., Dirty Advice from the Dirty Streets of NYC). Access requires no account or payment from end users.

Product overview

Howcast is a digital video platform offering a comprehensive library of free, on-demand how-to video content. The platform operates as a single unified product featuring curated video content organized across lifestyle categories including Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Food & Drink, Health & Wellness, Home & Garden, and Relationships. The core Howcast Video Platform hosts over 30,000 instructional videos supplemented by specialized content series including the Gun Guide Series (instructional firearms content), the Dirty Advice from the Dirty Streets of NYC Series (relationship advice), and the Memory Techniques Series (cognitive improvement tutorials).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Howcast Video Platform A digital video hosting and streaming platform that provides free, on-demand how-to video content across multiple lifestyle and instructional categories including Arts & Crafts, Entertainment, Food & Drink, Health & Wellness, Home & Garden, and Relationships, aimed at general consumers seeking practical learning content.
• Instructional Video Library A collection of 30,000+ instructional videos organized into curated guides and series, featuring topics such as gun safety and usage, memory improvement techniques, and relationship advice, offered free to consumer viewers.
• Gun Guide Series A comprehensive instructional video series on firearms covering topics from basic gun parts and safety to shooting techniques, cleaning, assembly, and specific firearm reviews including AK-47, M4, Uzi, Walther G22, Glock 23, Smith & Wesson, Desert Eagle, and Mossberg 500, aimed at consumer learners.
• Dirty Advice from the Dirty Streets of NYC Series A man-on-the-street interview series providing candid, humorous dating and relationship advice on topics including picking up strangers, sexting, dirty talk, and handling intimate situations, targeted at adult consumer viewers.
• Memory Techniques Series An educational video series by memory expert Barry Reitman teaching mnemonic techniques including the Major System, Body Part System, Loci Technique, Peg System, and methods for remembering names, passwords, numbers, and speeches, aimed at consumer learners.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BizBudding VenturescoreTechnology or IntegrationBizBudding Ventures is identified as the technology infrastructure provider powering Howcast. The platform is 'Powered by BizBudding Ventures with Springwire.ai,' indicating a technology/infrastructure partnership for the video hosting and platform operations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• wikiHow: The most direct peer: a long-established how-to content platform producing step-by-step instructional articles and videos across similar lifestyle categories. Competes for the same consumer intent and ad revenue on free how-to content.
• eHow: Historically a direct competitor in the ad-supported how-to video and article category. Operates a similar free, SEO-driven instructional content model across comparable lifestyle topics.
• Instructables: DIY-focused instructional platform combining user-generated guides with editorial how-to content. Comparable free, ad/community-supported model targeting hobbyist and craft categories that overlap Howcast's Arts & Crafts and Home & Garden verticals.
• Snapguide: Mobile-first how-to guide app that lets users create and browse step-by-step tutorials. Closely aligned with Howcast's short-form instructional video concept, though distributed via a mobile app rather than a web property.

Broad incumbents

• Lifehacker: Large digital media publisher covering tips, tricks, and how-to content across tech, productivity, and lifestyle. Operates a similar ad-supported editorial model with broader scope and a more frequently refreshed content cadence than Howcast.
• Tasty (BuzzFeed): BuzzFeed's flagship food how-to video brand, producing short-form instructional cooking content. Represents a more focused, better-monetized version of Howcast's Food & Drink vertical and an indicator of how verticalized how-to video can scale.
• Dotdash Meredith: Large digital media operator with multiple how-to and instructional content properties. Demonstrates the broader publishing model (ad + affiliate + commerce) that a scaled Howcast could evolve into.
• YouTube: The dominant general-purpose video platform where the overwhelming majority of consumer how-to viewing now occurs. Sets the competitive ceiling on reach, monetization, and creator supply for any standalone how-to video site.
• TikTok: Mobile-native short-form video platform with substantial how-to, lifehack, and tutorial content. Represents the most aggressive competitive threat to short-form instructional video on the open web.

Emerging players

• MakeUseOf: Independent digital publisher focused on tech, productivity, and DIY how-to guides. Comparable ad-supported instructional publishing model with a narrower topical focus than Howcast.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Howcast
• Facebookfacebook.com/shopathome
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/howcast-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 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 Howcast