Hullabalu builds interactive story worlds for young children in which kids progress the narrative by playing with characters and the environment. The company creates its own characters, voices, art and animation and uses a proprietary Pegasus animation engine (developed during TechStars) that converts Photoshop files into interactive scenes and supports real-time character animation, parallax and Apple OS functionality. Pegasus has shortened production time from 4–9 months to under one month, enabling a faster release cadence. Hullabalu sells its digital stories via in-app purchases at $3.99 per download; the monetization feature was turned on only weeks before the article and early conversion rates are reported at 2–3x industry standards. Each story provides roughly 35 minutes of play, with repeat engagement ranging from every other week to every other day. With new funding the company plans to add a parent section to show child progress, release its 6th book before the holidays and a 7th in January, and expand into tied physical merchandise such as stuffed animals, sticker books, coloring books and regular books. Hullabalu builds a tablet-native storytelling app in which the app itself is the story and action progresses as children engage with its magical world. The product launches on iPad as a paid app priced at $3.99 and features high-quality design and animation. The company was founded mid-2012 by Suzanne Xie and operates with a small team of about six people, with Xie serving as lead writer and editor. Hullabalu plans to expand its lineup with additional applications that continue the story, the first due this summer and another later in the year. Initially the company monetizes via app sales, with an eventual goal to sell merchandise such as stuffed animals, stickers and stationery. The startup raised external funding to support development and growth.

Total raised

$4M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Nov 2015