14th January 2015 – LONDON, UK – Hopster, the UK’s leading interactive TV and learning platform for preschoolers, today confirmed the completion of a multi-million pound equity investment round. The funding round, which caps a year of strong growth for the UK-based startup, will fuel its ambitious growth plans for the new year and beyond.
The funding will see Hopster invest in new product features, acquire more premium kids content, and continue its programme of international expansion, which kicked off last December with a successful launch in Ireland. Additionally, Hopster is expanding its team and UK operation to support its growth.
The funding round was led by Sandbox Partners Private Limited, a strategic investor in the learning and media space. Hopster had previously secured seed investment from UK angel investors including TV’s Davina McCall, Tony Orsten (The Imaginarium, twofour54) and Bhav Singh (Pearson, Viacom).
Nick Walters, Hopster founder, said, “We had an amazing first year – and it’s great that Sandbox have recognised the huge potential of this space. With their investment on board, we’ll be able to offer more than ever before for families – and we’ve got big plans for new features and international expansion. Our expansion to Ireland has beaten our expectations; now we want to increase the pace and deliver an unprecedented experience to families all around the globe.”
The founder & CEO of Sandbox Partners Private Limited, Bhav Singh added, “We are delighted to have been involved with securing this funding for Hopster. Having known Nick and being involved in Hopster from the very start, watching its progression and how he brought a strong team together, it was a no brainer for us, being focused on playing at the intersection of media and learning, that we would start our journey by backing Hopster.”
Since launching in December 2013, Hopster has rapidly established itself as an App Store chart topper, recording over 200,000 downloads from UK families and securing a coveted App Store ‘Best of 2014’ award. The last quarter of 2014 also saw Hopster expand to smart TVs and set-top boxes, announcing a series of major deals with Freesat, EE TV, Samsung, and Panasonic.
-ENDS-
About Hopster – www.hopster.tv
Hopster is best place for pre-schoolers to watch, play, and grow. For one low monthly subscription of just £3.99/€5.99, Club Hopster subscribers get access to the unlimited TV & learning service on TV and iOS. With hundreds of episodes of family favourites and academically-vetted learning games, it’s no wonder that over 200,000 parents already trust the award-winning app to keep their kids delighted, safe, and growing.
Hopster is available for free from the UK and Ireland App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, and on a number of TV devices – to find out more, check out www.hopster.tv!
About Sandbox Partners Private Limited – www.sandboxandco.com
Founded by media and entertainment expert Bhav Singh, Sandbox Partners Private Limited is a strategic investor backed by leading cross-media operator in South East Asia with Direct-To-Home (DTH) satellite television services in Malaysia and Brunei, Astro Overseas Limited.
Sandbox is focused on investing in businesses at the intersection of new media and learning. We believe that success is to not only invest in great spaces and companies, but to also build sustainable eco-systems around them by forming a series of complementary verticals through investments in content, platforms and brands. Find out more http://www.sandboxandco.com.
About ASTRO Overseas Limited (AOL)
ASTRO Overseas Limited (AOL) holds investments in a portfolio of companies involved in pay TV, radio, content aggregation, creation and distribution, digital and multimedia services in Asia, Australia, Middle East, UK and USA. Through Celestial Pictures Ltd, AOL owns and distributes the Shaw Library, the world’s largest Chinese film library. AOL is wholly-owned by Astro Holdings Sdn Bhd, affiliate of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the Government of Malaysia’s strategic investment fund.
For more information about Hopster, contact:
Shereene Witter
+44 7979 511 483
shereene@franklinrae.com
For more information about Sandbox Partners Private Ltd, contact:
NualaGintyPR
nginty@me.com
+44 79 444 78 132
Hopster 
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