Connect with us

Resources

Inside hoo.be: A Conversation with the Team That’s Elevating the Link-In-Bio Space for Content Creators

Avatar photo

Published

on

hoo be

In an industry as diversified and expansive as technology, a great idea can only account for a portion of a company’s success. There also needs to be an understanding of the market needs, a tried and truly seamless innovation on hand, and, of course, a team of people willing to put everything they have into the next trailblazing product.

Enter hoo.be – the first invite-only link-in-bio platform that caters exclusively to the digital needs of the content creator community. Popular with top creators like Harry Jowsey, Natalie Noel and Dude with Sign, as well as high-profile figures such as Tom Brady, Michael Strahan and Jeff Bezos, hoo.be is taking the link-in-bio space on social media profiles to a whole new level with its impressive content sharing capabilities, commerce features, and a variety of embed tools that allow users to conduct sales for NFTs, live events, and more all within the platform.

Fronted by co-founders Jordan Greenfield and Casin Ward, two young entrepreneurs based out of Boston, hoo.be is an emblazoned monolithic structure in a highly saturated field of content creation focused tech.

The success of hoo.be, which has seen stellar growth since launching in 2021 with a current reach of more than 1.5 billion people across social media, reflects the disruption that can happen in even the most comfortable corners of the industry – if you’re willing to think outside of the bounds and take things further than anything already accomplished.

Most importantly, hoo.be aims to be more than a tech giant, far removed from the world outside of the harmony within its code. hoo.be the company and hoo.be the brand are first and foremost people focused – organizing in-person activations that provide an opportunity for their users to connect and a people-first attitude among their internal team.

We had the chance to talk to hoo.be’s core team players, Jordan Greenfield (Co-Founder & CEO), Casin Ward (Co-Founder & COO/CMO), Andrea Ruiz (Director of Partnerships and Acquisitions), and Kayla Birmingham (Chief of Staff) to discuss the past, present, and future tense of this groundbreaking startup and how their collective journey came to be.

h

hoo.be team members Casin Ward, Jordan Greenfield, Andrea Ruiz and Kayla Birmingham
join the larger hoo.be team at hoo.be Fest in Los Angeles. (Photo Credit: Jon Kopaloff)

Jordan Greenfield, as hoo.be’s Co-Founder and active CEO, tell us about how you came up with the idea for hoo.be. What made you interested in pursuing a content creator driven link-in-bio platform?

Jordan Greenfield: We actually built something very similar to hoo.be several years back that we shelved due to timing. When the pandemic hit and everything was taking place online across multiple fragmented platforms, the need for a centralized location for creators to drive their traffic back to became paramount.

We decided to focus on building a link-in-bio solution for those that needed it most: creators and celebrities. By focusing on this niche, this allowed us to build the best product on the market for our core users’ needs.

Due to the foundation we had built in the creator landscape prior to launching hoo.be pages, we knew with the proper execution we would be able to get some of the biggest names on social media to transition over to our platform.

Casin Ward, as a hoo.be Co-Founder and the company’s CMO/COO, what was it about Jordan that made you want to partner with him?

Casin Ward: I had always wanted to start something from the ground up and failed a few times before meeting Jordan. Being a young entrepreneur and a high school dropout, it was super challenging to find the right partner who matched my strengths and complimented my weaknesses.

Jordan and I clicked right away – we both had a vision for disrupting the industry and we both had a strong work ethic to get us through to the finish line.

At the end of the day, it came down to trust. I trust Jordan with my life and I knew he was the winning horse to bet on.

Andrea Ruiz, as hoo.be’s Director of Partnerships and Acquisitions, you have a history of working for companies that really push the envelope in their own ways (Google, Tik Tok).  What attracted you to hoo.be?

Andrea Ruiz: There are two key areas I’ve always looked to when considering joining a company – people and product. I had the pleasure of getting to know [hoo.be’s Founders] Jordan and Casin during my time at TikTok, and from the beginning, their excitement and passion surrounding hoo.be was incredibly contagious.

The more conversations I had surrounding hoo.be, the more I saw its potential and the disruption it could cause in such a noisy space. At the time I was craving a position that would allow for a driven atmosphere, creative freedom, and the opportunity to help build something that redefines direct-to-audience engagement for today’s top talent – all while having fun. It quickly became clear to me that joining hoo.be and working alongside their talented team would give me just that.

Kayla Birmingham, as hoo.be’s Chief of Staff, you actually first started following the company through social media and were a strong supporter of the platform before joining the team. What was it about their messaging that really spoke to you and got you excited about hoo.be as a company?

Kayla Birmingham: I didn’t know too much about the platform before joining the team. What first caught my eye was Jordan’s frequent story posts showing who was joining the platform. Each new story was more impressive than the previous. So, what really grabbed my attention was this unique initiative, consistent leveling up, and overall morale around what Jordan (hoo.be) was doing.

hoo.be found a lot of success very quickly, adding big names to the roster of users including Jeff Bezos, Tom Brady, and Meghan Trainor to name a few. What do you think really brought people on board?

Jordan Greenfield: One of my mentors once told me to never underestimate the value of a good brand. I believe the way we built our community first and foremost for creators has allowed us to lower the barrier and friction as it pertains to onboarding top tier users to our platform.

With that said, a good brand without a good product or service will always fall short. By having our product focused on the core needs of these users we have been able to craft our offering around what is most beneficial to them.

hoo be

Caption (from left): hoo.be’s Jordan Greenfield and Dude with Sign’s Seth Phillips with Tom Brady to support the launch of BRADY underwear through the hoo.be platform.

How does hoo.be innovate the link-in-bio space?

Casin Ward: Our focus has always been on the creator first. We strongly believed if we built a product that creators loved, their fans would love it just as much.

We also took a more content forward approach, which gives users the ability to create a much more visual profile that aligns with their brand and captivates their audience without over customizing.

Keeping the platform invite-only is our way of verifying that each user is who they say they are, while maintaining a quality network of creators on the platform. We like to think of hoo.be as almost a blue check for validating top creators.

Outside of the product itself, it was important to us that we build a community within hoo.be by hosting exclusive events, creating opportunities for users to collaborate with each other, and providing the best support possible.

There’s so much more that we are building into the product, and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to see what we’re working on.

What does hoo.be provide that’s missing in the current marketplace?

Andrea Ruiz: There are several factors that differentiate hoo.be from others in the space. Our foundation is built on disrupting the link-in-bio space by catering specifically to top content creators looking to engage their audiences and improve discoverability. This specialization allows us to meet their specific needs – from both a service and product standpoint – as the product evolves.

We offer unique features that allow users to showcase their content in captivating ways, and consequently, drive engagement. This is evident in our overall page designs where we offer link types with customizable cover images, interactive audio and video embeds, and a growing list of unique integrations that help users generate more views, clicks, and conversions, compared to others in the space.

We also specialize in servicing talent agencies and recently rolled out an exclusive premium enterprise model. This unique offering caters to partners looking to layer custom branding across their talent pages and comes with dedicated support.

Kayla, as Chief of Staff for the company, you optimize the team’s efficiency and keep everything on track, which can prove difficult at such an early stage in most growing companies. What has made hoo.be the exception to the rule?

Kayla Birmingham: I don’t think hoo.be is an exception to that rule – no matter the case, it is difficult. But difficulty doesn’t stop anyone at hoo.be and that is what I believe is exceptional about our team. We face things head on, think strategically, and through proper optimization set ourselves up for success. From there we grow and that’s the most rewarding part.

Casin, as CMO and COO of a startup, what type of leadership style do you have and what kind of collaboration happens in the day-to-day that keeps you all striving for success?

Casin Ward: I’ve always had a very unconventional way of doing things. I’m a high school dropout, never went to college, and had no desire to ever work from 9:00 am to 5:00pm.

I knew that if I wanted to succeed it was up to me to put in the work and learn quickly and that’s the same leadership style I share with my team.

We have a “write your own book” policy at hoo.be, which means we empower each member of our team with the opportunity to be their own leader.

How do you all support one another throughout the growth and expansion of hoo.be as a company?

Andrea Ruiz: It’s widely known that working at a start-up will consist of a fast pace, diversification of responsibilities, and a never-ending task list.

The team at hoo.be is made up of passionate, go-getter individuals who clearly love what they’re doing. So, it becomes easy for us to get caught up in the zone with the tasks at hand. That said, checking in and encouraging one another to maintain balance between work and personal life has been a big component when it comes to supporting one another.

Another component is the culture we’ve fostered as a collective. We’ve cultivated a space that feels safe and encourages all to voice themselves. As we continue to grow and expand as a company, it’s crucial to maintain an openness of ideas. The creative freedom that our safe space has allowed is responsible for many of the innovative features and elements you see embodied by hoo.be today.

We also always aim to have fun through the process, and that comes easier when you’re surrounded by like-minded individuals who genuinely care for one another. We’re a family at the end of the day.

Outside of the outward success of the company itself, what are you most proud of creating and implementing at hoo.be?

Casin Ward: I’m most proud of the people and culture surrounding hoo.be. hoo.be has really become a community that inspires creativity, growth, and connection. Regardless of whether or not you’re a user or a member of the team, everyone has been so supportive of each other.

It seems like you’ve really formed a team of people that carry the same values that got you interested in this space to begin with. What do you think propels you all to have such a strong core foundation?

Jordan Greenfield: Since day one we have been an open book. We are a bunch of young and passionate entrepreneurial spirits who want to leave a lasting mark on the creator economy. From the start, we have done a good job of telling our story to the outside world and it has attracted the talent of like-minded individuals with similar goals and aspirations.

What are you most excited about next for hoo.be?

Casin Ward: Every day there’s something new to be excited about. Whether it’s welcoming a new group of users to the platform or rolling out a new feature to help our users be the best they can be, there’s never a dull moment for us at hoo.be.

Kayla Birmingham: What excites me most about what is next for hoo.be is simply our continued growth. We of course have a roadmap, but we always remain flexible enough to pivot in order to grow smarter and stronger. I think that’s one of the main benefits of being a startup – we can tap directly into our user base to deliver what they want and need, and with that comes organic, exponential growth.

Jordan Greenfield: We are entering a very exciting chapter in the life of hoo.be. Over the next several months it will be very clear to the outside world how we see the future of the creator economy differently than others in the space.

Andrea Ruiz: To continue disrupting the link-in-bio and content platform space. Our primary focus has been to equip top talent and brands with a platform that redefines content sharing. I’m excited to further bridge the gap between our users and their audiences – to keep growing our community and our reinvestments to support them. Overall, I’m excited to continue surprising everyone looking in from the outside by exceeding ambitious goals and making the “unreachable” become a reality.

For more on hoo.be or to apply to join, visit www.hoo.be.

 

Kossi Adzo is the editor and author of Startup.info. He is software engineer. Innovation, Businesses and companies are his passion. He filled several patents in IT & Communication technologies. He manages the technical operations at Startup.info.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top of the month

Copyright © 2023 STARTUP INFO - Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions - Sitemap - Advisor

ABOUT US : Startup.info is STARTUP'S HALL OF FAME

We are a global Innovative startup's magazine & competitions host. 12,000+ startups from 58 countries already took part in our competitions. STARTUP.INFO is the first collaborative magazine (write for us or submit a guest post) dedicated to the promotion of startups with more than 400 000+ unique visitors per month. Our objective : Make startup companies known to the global business ecosystem, journalists, investors and early adopters. Thousands of startups already were funded after pitching on startup.info.

Get in touch : Email : contact(a)startup.info - Phone: +33 7 69 49 25 08 - Address : 2 rue de la bourse 75002 Paris, France