Hobby Hopper

What I’m Building — and Why

2-minute video sharing the story, where I'm at and what inspires this.

Want to go deeper? Here’s my early investor deck with market insights, milestones, and go to market plan that I recently created for a NC IDEA foundation micro grant application.

What Happens When You Invest in Hobby Hopper

I want to make this process clear, honest, and easy to understand — especially if this is your first time investing in a startup. Here’s exactly what happens when you invest via a SAFE.
Here's an example of what this process looks like:💸 1. Let's say you invest $1000Your investment helps me build the company — covering things like technology, marketing, and outreach. You’ll sign a simple legal agreement called a SAFE, which is short for Simple Agreement for Future Equity.This agreement says:“If Hobby Hopper raises money in the future or is acquired, your investment will convert into shares of the company.”⏳ 2. You don’t get shares right awayThis is not a loan, and it’s not a traditional stock purchase. You don’t own shares yet — and that’s normal.
You won’t receive interest, dividends, or voting rights.
Instead, you’re holding a legal promise that your investment will convert into ownership later, if and when we raise a formal funding round.🚀 3. Later, when we raise a bigger round (like from a VC)…Let’s walk through a simple example of what happens when your investment converts into shares:👤 You invest: $1,000
📉 Your SAFE has a $2.5 million valuation cap
💰 Later, we raise $1 million at a $5 million valuation
🔄 What happens at that moment?That’s when your $1,000 SAFE automatically converts into shares — but here’s the important part:You don’t convert at the new $5 million valuation like the new investor.Instead, because you invested early, your SAFE uses the lower valuation cap you locked in:
$2.5 million.🔍 What does that mean?You get twice as much ownership as someone investing the same amount in that future round.So if the VC investor’s $1,000 buys 100 shares…
Your $1,000 would buy 200 shares at the same moment.💡 Why? Because you took the risk early.The valuation cap is how SAFE investors get rewarded — they locked in a “better price per share” before the company grew.This means your early support is valued, protected, and honored — without needing to renegotiate anything later.📈 4. You now officially own part of the companyAt that point, your $1,000 has turned into actual shares. You now own a small percentage of Hobby Hopper, and that equity will grow in value if the company grows.💰 5. If Hobby Hopper is acquired or goes public one day…You can sell your shares and potentially make a return.
For example, if you own 0.04% of the company and it sells for $10 million someday, your original $1,000 could become $4,000.
This isn’t guaranteed, and it may take years — but that’s the potential upside of early-stage investing.🧾 IMPORTANT: This Is a High-Risk InvestmentEarly-stage startup investing is risky. It’s possible you could lose all of your investment. Please do not invest money you cannot afford to lose. If you're reading this, you're someone I love and trust and respect. As such, I would not want anyone to invest money that they are not able to lose.However, if you are someone who believes in the mission and who can afford to take that risk, I’d be honored to have you involved.Even if I don’t raise future investment — and Hobby Hopper becomes a sustainably profitable company — I plan to honor your early support. If we never trigger a formal SAFE conversion event, I will still choose to convert your investment into equity or reward you in another meaningful, monetary way. You’re backing me early, and I take that seriously.