Hubilo is an event technology platform that started in India around 2015 and is described as Bengaluru and San Francisco-based, offering virtual, hybrid and in-person event tools.

This Startup Deep Dive explains what Hubilo does, how it makes money, who backs it, how it compares with rivals and what could go wrong, using publicly available information. It is educational and not investment advice. Last updated: October 2026.

Hubilo in Brief

• What it is: Hubilo is an Indian Virtual and hybrid event software (SaaS) company based in Bengaluru and San Francisco.
• Who it serves: businesses, institutions, consumers, learners and public-sector buyers.
• Provides an end-to-end platform for virtual, hybrid and in-person events
• Covers virtual venues, live streaming, networking rooms, sponsor exhibits, gamification and analytics according to one profile
• Targets mid-to-large enterprises for conferences and large events
• Funding: About $153 million (one tracker reports $274.9 million, probably double counting).

Hubilo Quick Facts

Figures marked “reported” come from published reports and may differ between sources; “Not disclosed” means no reliable public figure was found.

What Is Hubilo?

Hubilo operates in the Virtual and hybrid event software (SaaS) space in India. Understanding a company like this starts with three questions: who is the customer, what painful problem is being solved, and why the solution is better than the alternatives. The sections below apply that lens to Hubilo.

• Provides an end-to-end platform for virtual, hybrid and in-person events
• Covers virtual venues, live streaming, networking rooms, sponsor exhibits, gamification and analytics according to one profile
• Targets mid-to-large enterprises for conferences and large events
• Reports differ on customers; one profile cites over 400 customers

The Origin Story of Hubilo

Every company starts from a noticed gap and a team willing to commit to closing it. Strong origin stories are specific: a clear problem, a founding team with relevant skills, and an early product that real customers could test. Founder-market fit, meaning the team’s lived experience or technical depth in the domain, tends to predict how fast a young company learns.

• Founders: Vaibhav Jain, Mayank Agarwal, John Peter.
• Started in 2015 as a virtual networking platform for event attendees, reportedly from Gujarat
• Later built tools for mid-to-large enterprise events
• Pivoted heavily into online event management and streaming during COVID-19
• Founding year reports differ: some sources say 2020, others 2015 (likely the earlier in-person product)

Key Milestones and Challenges

No startup grows in a straight line. Early years usually involve slow adoption, product rewrites, hiring mistakes and funding gaps. In the Virtual and hybrid event software (SaaS) sector the common turning points are a first paying customer, a regulatory approval, a successful product demonstration or a funding round that lets the team invest ahead of demand. How a team responds to setbacks says more about resilience than any single headline.

• 2015: Company started
• October 2020: seed round of about $4.5 million led by Lightspeed Venture Partners
• February 2021: $23.5 million Series A led by Lightspeed and Balderton Capital
• November 2021: $125 million Series B led by Alkeon Capital
• FY23: laid off around 160 employees across two rounds
• FY24: revenue fell 34% to Rs 37.3 crore

Hubilo Funding and Investors

Funding history shows how much outside confidence a company has attracted and how long it can operate before needing more capital. Figures below are reported and may differ between sources; valuation figures are estimates unless the company has confirmed them.

• Seed, October 2020: about $4.5 million (one source says $5 million), led by Lightspeed Venture Partners
• Series A, February 2021: $23.5 million, led by Balderton Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners
• Series B, November 2021: $125 million, led by Alkeon Capital with Lightspeed and Balderton

How Does Hubilo Make Money? (Business Model)

A business model describes who pays, how often and how much it costs to serve them. Strong models show repeat usage, improving margins with scale and acquisition channels that do not depend only on paid spend. Weak models show one-off sales, rising costs and growth that stops when spending stops. For companies selling to businesses, institutions, consumers, learners and public-sector buyers, sales cycles and contract size matter as much as headline growth.

• B2B SaaS subscriptions and event-based licences for organisers
• Services for running larger enterprise events
• Demand tied to event volumes, which fell as in-person events returned

The Numbers: Hubilo Financials

Financial figures show whether growth is turning into a self-sustaining business. Small and private companies often disclose little, so any number below is included only if it was found in public reporting.

• FY22: revenue Rs 55.1 crore; net loss Rs 18.9 crore
• FY23: revenue Rs 55.95 crore; net loss Rs 52.0 crore; expenses Rs 108.7 crore, 86% employee costs
• FY24: revenue Rs 37.3 crore (a third-party tracker reports a net loss of Rs 32.5 crore)
• FY25: revenue Rs 33.7 crore, down about 10%; profit after tax Rs 0.74 crore

Market Opportunity for Hubilo

Market size is easy to exaggerate, so a useful approach separates the total market from the portion a company can realistically reach with its current product and distribution. The main forces behind demand in this sector are rising digital adoption, cloud and mobile penetration, growing enterprise technology spending, government digitisation programmes and a deep pool of engineering talent. Each of these widens the opportunity, but capital efficiency and execution decide who captures it.

• Event technology demand spiked in 2020-21 and normalised afterwards
• Competes with global suites and Indian virtual event startups

Technology and Product at Hubilo

Technology is rarely the whole moat, but it drives speed, cost and customer experience. A practical way to assess it is to separate the capability the company controls from the commodity infrastructure it rents. In this sector the important factors are product quality, data and integration depth, security, scalability and the speed of shipping improvements.

• Event platform with virtual venue, streaming, networking and analytics modules

Team and Culture at Hubilo

Teams are the most important and least measurable asset of a young company. Look at how complementary the founders’ skills are, how deep the second layer of leadership is, and how the company hires and retains specialists. Culture shows up in small repeated behaviours: how quickly bad news travels upward and whether commitments to customers are kept.

• Vaibhav Jain is CEO
• Layoffs of about 160 staff in FY23 reduced headcount

Hubilo Competitors: Competitive Landscape

A fair competitive analysis names direct rivals, adjacent players who could move into the space, and the customer’s default alternative. Durable advantages include proprietary data or technology, licences and approvals, brand trust, switching costs and cost leadership.

Risks and Challenges for Hubilo

• Revenue fell about 40% from FY23 to FY25 as virtual events declined
• Heavy FY23 loss and layoffs
• Ownership and acquisition status unclear in sources
• Competition: low barriers to entry and well-funded rivals can compress pricing and slow growth.
• Funding risk: technology businesses often burn cash before reaching profit and depend on investor appetite.

Risk is not a reason to avoid a company; it is a reason to price it correctly and to monitor the right indicators over time. Regulation in this sector is shaped by data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, sector regulators, consumer protection law and IT rules.

Hubilo Growth Outlook: What to Watch

• Reached a small profit in FY25 after cost cuts
• Future depends on hybrid event demand and possible ownership changes (reports differ)
• Key indicators: recurring revenue, customer retention, gross margin, customer acquisition cost and runway.
• Funding position: Whether Hubilo can reach its next milestone before needing new capital.
• Regulation: Changes from data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, sector regulators, consumer protection law and IT rules.

Industry Context: Where Hubilo Fits

India's technology startup ecosystem is one of the largest in the world, supported by cheap data, a large base of smartphone users, digital public infrastructure and a deep engineering talent pool. Companies now build for education, software, mobility, logistics, agriculture, defence, media and more, selling both to Indian customers and abroad.

Durable technology companies usually combine a clear customer problem with repeatable distribution and disciplined unit economics. Growth funded only by spending tends to fade, while products that customers keep using and paying for build compounding advantages.

For readers new to this field, a useful habit is to separate announcements from evidence. A plan, a partnership or a funding headline describes intent, while a delivered product, a paying customer or an audited financial statement describes results. Comparing the two over time shows how reliably a company turns promises into outcomes.

Bull Case and Bear Case for Hubilo

An investment thesis is a short, testable statement of why a company could become far more valuable, together with what evidence would prove it wrong. The points below are general to this sector and are not forecasts for Hubilo.

Bull case

• A large and growing base of digital users and businesses expands the addressable market.
• Recurring revenue and strong retention can compound growth.
• Selling into global markets widens the opportunity beyond India.

Bear case

• Heavy competition can compress pricing and margins.
• Dependence on external funding can force painful cost cuts.
• Regulation or platform changes can disrupt a product quickly.

Lessons Founders and Investors Can Take from Hubilo

Studying a company in the Virtual and hybrid event software (SaaS) space offers lessons that go beyond any single firm. The points below are general lessons for the sector and are not claims about Hubilo.

• Solving a clear, frequent customer problem matters more than adding features.
• Retention and repeat usage are better health signals than sign-ups.
• Disciplined spending extends runway and keeps options open when funding tightens.
• Distribution, not just product quality, decides who wins in crowded markets.
• Building trust through data protection and reliability is part of the product.

How to Evaluate Hubilo as a Startup

• Customer clarity: Can Hubilo name its customer and the problem it solves in one sentence?
• Evidence of demand: Look for repeat customers, signed contracts or measurable usage rather than announcements alone.
• Economics: Check whether margins improve as volume grows.
• Execution: Compare announced timelines with what has actually been delivered.
• Funding runway: Estimate how long current capital lasts at the present spending rate.
• Regulatory standing: Confirm required approvals are in place.
• Customer concentration: Check whether a few customers account for most of the revenue.
• Management depth: Look for experienced leaders beyond the founders and a stable core team.

The Takeaway

Hubilo is part of India’s growing Virtual and hybrid event software (SaaS) ecosystem. The useful lesson from studying it is the discipline of asking structured questions about customers, economics, advantage and resilience. Companies that answer them well, repeatedly and under pressure are the ones that endure. Readers should treat any single report, ranking or funding headline as one input among many, and should re-check key facts against recent company announcements. Because public information on young companies is often limited, patience in verifying claims is part of good analysis. Public sources can also describe the same company in different ways, so it is worth checking dates, definitions and whether a figure refers to revenue, total income or transaction value, and whether it covers one entity or a wider group, before drawing conclusions. Small differences in rounding, currency conversion or reporting periods can also change how a figure reads. Comparing the same figure across several recent reports helps show whether it is stable or has changed over time. This article is educational and is not investment advice.

• Clear customers and repeat demand matter more than announcements.
• Regulation and capital needs shape how fast a startup in this sector can grow.
• Track a few leading indicators over time rather than one headline metric.

Hubilo FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hubilo?

Hubilo is an event technology platform that started in India around 2015 and is described as Bengaluru and San Francisco-based, offering virtual, hybrid and in-person event tools. It is profiled in the Startup Deep Dive series, which explains business model, funding, competitors and risks.

Who founded Hubilo?

Hubilo was founded by Vaibhav Jain, Mayank Agarwal, John Peter, and the company reports a founding year of 2015.

How much funding has Hubilo raised?

About $153 million (one tracker reports $274.9 million, probably double counting). Funding figures are reported and may differ between sources, so readers should check the latest company announcements.

How does Hubilo make money?

Hubilo earns revenue from its Virtual and hybrid event software (SaaS) products and services sold to businesses, institutions, consumers, learners and public-sector buyers. The exact revenue mix is described in the business model section and is not fully disclosed publicly.

Who are the competitors of Hubilo?

Reported rivals include Cvent, Hopin, Airmeet, vFairs. See the competitor comparison above for how they differ.

What are the main risks for Hubilo?

Main risks include competition: low barriers to entry and well-funded rivals can compress pricing and slow growth, funding and capital needs, competition and regulation by data protection rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, sector regulators, consumer protection law and IT rules. This is educational content, not investment advice.

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Source

Source: Publicly available data, published reports, industry research, and other credible sources.