Howbout Calendar secures $8M In Series A Funding, Expanding its Social Time-Sharing Network.

Howbout Calendar is a social calendar app designed to help users find time to meet with friends, making it easier to schedule social events. Unlike many scheduling apps that focus on professional life, Howbout is tailored specifically for personal use, particularly with friends. The app appeals to a younger audience, especially Gen Z, with a significant portion of users being 25 or younger. Howbout reports that over 75% of its users share their full calendar with at least one friend, showcasing the shift towards open calendar-sharing among younger people.

Howbout was founded in August 2020 by university friends Neil Tanna, Jake Jenner, and Duncan Cowan. After graduating, the trio struggled to find time to catch up with each other as their careers as a corporate lawyer, investment banker, and software engineer became more demanding. Tanna, who had always wanted to create something of his own, convinced his friends to build Howbout, addressing the issue of scheduling social time in a more social and connected way.

The startup recently raised $8 million in Series A funding, led by Goodwater Capital, with additional contributions from FJ Labs, Sequel, and soccer star Harry Maguire. Other investors, including Boost Capital and Angel Invest, also supported the round, bringing Howbout’s total funding to over $13 million. This influx of capital will enable Howbout to grow, particularly as it aims to expand further into the U.S. market, where the app already has a strong presence alongside other markets like the U.K., Germany, Australia, and Canada.

Howbout offers a variety of features aimed at making social planning more seamless. Users can see their own schedules and those of their friends who have shared their calendars. It also allows users to share their availability with a broader group without revealing their entire schedule. The app includes functionalities such as scheduling events, inviting people via a link, and setting up different groups for recurring hangouts. Even those who haven’t downloaded the app can receive invites, although they’ll need to download it to respond.

The platform also includes tools like voting on a time to meet, similar to other scheduling tools like Doodle, but with a focus on social connections rather than professional meetings. Additionally, users can create a “bucket list” of future events they’d like to attend or add past events to a “Memories” feature, making the app a place not just for planning but also for reminiscing.

Each event scheduled on Howbout automatically generates a group chat for easy planning, so users don’t need to create temporary groups on other platforms like WhatsApp. This integration of event planning and communication into one app helps streamline the process, ensuring all aspects of socialising are managed in one place.

As Howbout continues to grow, the company is banking on the idea that the app’s network effects will be driven by so-called “chief friend officers.” These are the people in a group who take charge of organising events and meetups, and Howbout believes they will be instrumental in helping the app spread. According to co-founder Neil Tanna, “We wanted to make time a social entity.” The app is designed to turn time management into a shared, social experience, rather than a solitary task.

With more than 4 million monthly active users and over 50 million events created, Howbout has already seen considerable success. However, the company isn’t just resting on its current achievements. They have experimented with various strategies, such as branded event activations and subscriptions, to continue driving growth.

According to Chi-Hua Chien, co-founder and managing partner at Goodwater Capital, Howbout has the potential to create a social platform built around the concept of time, much like how Facebook became a platform based on status updates or how TikTok capitalised on short-form video content. Chien notes that Gen Z is particularly open to sharing their calendars, seeing it as a way to ensure they don’t miss out on time with friends.

Howbout’s future looks promising, especially with its focus on user growth in key markets. Whether it will mark the start of a new social trend, where sharing personal calendars becomes common, remains to be seen, but the company is well-positioned to continue growing and evolving in the social app space.

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