Draft:Howbout Shared Calendar

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Howbout Shared Calendar
Original authorsNeil Tanna; Jake Jenner; Duncan Cowan
DeveloperHowbout Ltd
Initial releaseAugust 2020
Operating systemiOS 14 or later; Android 5.0 or later
PlatformMobile
LicenseFreeware
Websitehttps://howbout.app

Howbout Shared Calendar is a mobile application that provides shared calendar and social planning functions. It was developed by Howbout Ltd, a London-based company founded in 2020 by Neil Tanna, Jake Jenner and Duncan Cowan.[1][2][3][4]

History

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Howbout Ltd was founded in 2020 by Tanna, Jenner and Cowan, who developed the concept after encountering difficulties organising social plans following university.[5] Prior to launching the app, the founders left careers in law, banking and engineering to work on the project full time.[1][2][6][7]

The company raised £100,000 in angel funding in 2019[8], followed by a £500,000 pre-seed round in 2020, as reported by UK Tech News.[2] In 2021, Howbout secured £1.9 million in seed funding from investors including ACF Investors, Supernode Global, Boost Capital and several individual backers.[1][2][4][6][9]

In 2024, the company completed an $8 million Series A funding round led by Goodwater Capital, with participation from FJ Labs, Sequel, Boost Capital, Angel Invest and Upside Ventures. By 2024, Howbout reported more than 4 million registered users and over 50 million events created within the platform.[1][4][10][11]

Howbout has been included in several UK startup lists and profiles. It was a regional finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards in 2021 and 2025.[7] In 2025 it was ranked 33rd in the Startups 100 list published by Startups.co.uk.[5]

Features

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The application provides tools for shared scheduling and group coordination, including shared calendars, availability sharing, group chats linked to events, polling functions for dates, times and general questions, RSVP tracking, link-based invitations for individuals without the app, and synchronisation with external services such as Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and Outlook.[5][12][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "UK's social calendar app Howbout secures €7.1M". 2024-09-23. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  2. ^ a b c d Sharma, Shubham (2021-03-23). "With £500K, this UK-based social planner startup is transforming group meetups amid pandemic". UKTN. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  3. ^ Team, Editorial (2022-11-02). "Dark social media app Howbout picks almost £2M to plan and schedule gatherings — TFN". Tech Funding News. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  4. ^ a b c "Howbout Calendar secures $8M In Series A Funding, Expanding its Social Time-Sharing Network". www.thebaehq.com. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  5. ^ a b c 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 2025-12-08.
  6. ^ a b Symcox, Jonathan (2022-11-02). "'Dark social media' app Howbout bags £1.9m". BusinessCloud. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  7. ^ a b "Start Up Entrepreneur of the Year 2021 (GBEA)". www.sook.space. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  8. ^ "Howbout secures £1.92 investment from investors including ACF Investors". www.uktechnews.info. Archived from the original on 2022-11-02. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  9. ^ Simister, George (2022-11-02). "Social planning app Howbout raises £1.9m". UKTN. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  10. ^ "Howbout Raises $8M in Funding for Social Calendar App". www.ctol.digital. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  11. ^ Mehta, Ivan (2024-09-13). "Howbout raises $8M from Goodwater to build a calendar that you can share with your friends". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  12. ^ "The 10 best organization apps to help you feel more in control of your week". Woman & Home. 2023-03-05. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
  13. ^ Fogarty, Kelsey (2025-08-03). "I ditched my group chat for this social scheduling tool". Pocket-lint. Retrieved 2025-12-08.