Draft:Howbout
Submission declined on 24 July 2025 by DoubleGrazing (talk).
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| Submission declined on 22 July 2025 by Pythoncoder (talk). Your draft shows signs of having been generated by a large language model, such as ChatGPT. Their outputs usually have multiple issues that prevent them from meeting our guidelines on writing articles. These include: Declined by Pythoncoder 7 days ago.
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Comment: Routine business reporting like investment raised does not establish notability per WP:NCORP. DoubleGrazing (talk) 13:22, 24 July 2025 (UTC)
- Comment: In accordance with the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use, I disclose that I have been paid by my employer for my contributions to this article. SloeBro (talk) 14:15, 22 July 2025 (UTC)
Howbout
[edit]| Howbout | |
|---|---|
| Original author(s) |
|
| Developer(s) | Howbout Ltd |
| Initial release | August 2020 |
| Operating system | iOS 14 or later · Android 5.0 or later |
| Platform | Mobile |
| Available in | English |
| Type |
|
| License | Freeware |
| Website | howbout.app |
Howbout is a shared calendar app, where users can view friends’ calendars and schedules, share availability, and set up group calendars. It is available as a mobile app on iOS and Android.[1]
History
[edit]Howbout was founded in 2020 by university friends Neil Tanna, Jake Jenner, and Duncan Cowan. The idea for Howbout came from their struggle with making social plans after leaving school. They quit their jobs in law, banking, and engineering to create the app, which officially launched in August 2020.[1]
Company
[edit]Howbout Ltd is a privately held company based in London, UK. As of 2024, there are 13 employees at the company across product, engineering, design, and marketing.[2]
Features
[edit]Howbout has a number of features, including:
- Shared calendars with friends
- Real-time availability
- Group chats tied to each plan
- Polls for general, date, and time votes
- RSVP list
- Link-based event invites
- Calendar syncing with external platforms like Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook Calendar[1]
Funding
[edit]Angel funding
[edit]In December 2019, Howbout completed a soft launch and raised an initial £100,000 in early funding, co-led by Claire Valoti (previously VP International at Snap Inc.)[3]
Pre-seed
[edit]Howbout raised £500,000 in pre-seed funding during a period where the company experienced significant user growth, reported by UK Tech News.[3]
Seed
[edit]In March 2021, Howbout raised £1.9 million in seed funding. The funding was used to grow its team and expand product features.
Investors in the round include ACF Investors, Supernode Global, Boost Capital, and angel investors Claire Valoti and Desigan Chinniah (ex-Paypal and Skype).[4]
Series A
[edit]In September 2024, Howbout raised $8 million in Series A funding led by Goodwater Capital.
Additional participants included FJ Labs, Sequel (with investors such as English Footballer, Harry Maguire), Boost Capital, Angel Invest, and the Sidemen’s fund, Upside Ventures.[5]
According to coverage in TechCrunch and Business Insider, the funding was used to scale the team and accelerate product development.[1][5]
As last reported, Howbout had over 4 million registered users and more than 50 million events had been created on the Howbout app.[1]
Reception and Recognition
[edit]Awards and Rankings
[edit]- Great British Entrepreneur Awards: Finalist in both 2021 and 2025 (London regional shortlists).[6][7]
- Startups100: Ranked 33rd in the Startups.co.uk 2025 list of the UK’s most promising startups.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Mehta, Ivan (2024-09-13). "Howbout raises $8M from Goodwater to build a calendar that you can share with your friends". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ "UK's social calendar app Howbout secures €7.1M". 2024-09-23. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ a b "With £500K, this UK-based social planner startup is transforming group meetups amid pandemic". UKTN. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ Symcox, Jonathan (2022-11-02). "'Dark social media' app Howbout bags £1.9m". BusinessCloud. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ a b Bradley, Sydney. "A social-calendar app that helps friends sync their schedules and make plans raised $8 million. Read its pitch deck". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ "London GBEA Shortlist 2025 – Great British Entrepreneur Awards". greatbritishentrepreneurawards.com. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ "Start Up Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 (GBEA)". www.sook.space. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ Young, Helena (2025-01-13). "Howbout – "Gen Z are seeking ways to feel more connected" | Startups 100 2025". Startups 100 by Startups.co.uk: Start up a successful business. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
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