Harbottle & Lewis advises Hopster on its strategic investment round led by Sony
Harbottle & Lewis has advised Plato Media Limited t/a Hopster,a leading, global pre-school SVOD platform, on its latest fundraising round led by Sony Pictures Television Networks.
Launched in December 2013 by Nick Walters, Hopster helps kids learn through the shows they love, striking the perfect balance between learning and fun. Since launching, the platform has seen exceptional growth and is now available in over 100 countries worldwide, as well as making its debut on Apple TV.
Kate Marsh, Executive Vice president of Sony Pictures Television, said: “Hopster is a fantastic investment, supporting our growing SPT Networks kids’ offering which has seen Sony grow to become one of the top kids broadcasters in the UK. This investment offers us an early mover advantage in the fast-growing subscription kids’ space, and is a real opportunity to increase our on-demand services, working with the Hopster team to grow digital scale alongside our linear channels.”
Nick Walters, CEO and founder of Hopster, said of the announcement: “We are very excited to have Sony Pictures on board and believe that this strategic investment will enable us to take Hopster to the next level. And in Harbottle & Lewis, we had a fantastic partner in getting this deal over the line.We’ve been working with the team there since day one of the Hopster story and their rare combination of deal savvy, entrepreneurial understanding and first class legal work has been invaluable to us in getting Hopster to this landmark announcement.”
Tony Littner, Head of Harbottle & Lewis’ Venture Capital Group commented “Having advised Hopster for several years ever since it was a pure startup, we are proud and delighted to have been able to support the company on its latest exciting milestone. The Hopster story illustrates perfectly what we are passionate about doing – working closely with talented entrepreneurs in our specialist sectors through every step on their lifecycle journey with their companies.”
Tony Littner and Felix Wong from the firm’s Venture Capital Group advised Hopster on the transaction.
