July 6, 2025 marked a milestone we’ve been working toward for 16 months. PopHop is officially live, and we have paying customers from day one. As I write this, six communities are already using our platform, and it feels surreal to see our vision becoming reality.

But let me take you back to where it all began.

March 12, 2024 – The Commitment

After months of planning and deep problem validation, we made the decision that would define the next year and a half of our lives. All six of us — three founders and three developers — went full-time on PopHop.

The problem was clear. Traditional community platforms were putting unsustainable pressure on creators. I had experienced it firsthand, running paid communities with over 700 members across multiple tools. Engagement always dropped because only the community owner could monetize, while hundreds of members remained passive participants.

Our idea was simple but bold: what if every community member could earn, not just the owner?

We wanted to build the foundation for a true member-to-member economy.

Building the Technical Foundation

From day one, we focused on scalability and long-term strength. Our technical stack came together with:

• Frontend: Next.js with TypeScript, hosted on Vercel for global speed
• Backend: Python with FastAPI and Supabase for real-time capabilities
• Payments: Stripe for global payment processing
• AI Integration: OpenAI GPT-4 for content recommendations and insights

We weren’t just building another community platform. We were building infrastructure for a new kind of digital economy, where communities could become marketplaces.

December 22, 2024 – Alpha Testing Begins

After nine months of intensive development, we entered alpha testing. This was the first time real users got their hands on PopHop. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time.

The alpha version focused on the core community features. No LMS yet — just the essentials needed to build, host, and manage communities.

We launched several closed communities and observed how users interacted with the platform.

The feedback was gold. People loved the concept, and more importantly, we validated that real communities could thrive using PopHop. We learned about dozens of small improvements that shaped the next version.

March 6, 2025 – Beta with Full LMS

The beta launch was our defining moment. We had now integrated a complete LMS, transforming PopHop from a community tool into a full creator economy platform.

Now creators could:

• Build and grow engaged communities around their expertise
• Host and deliver structured courses
• Manage complex membership tiers and access controls
• Process payments for both subscriptions and one-time sales

This wasn’t just an update. It was the shift from “community management” to “community empowerment.”

The technical complexity was huge, but our team pushed through.

The Numbers That Kept Us Going

Throughout the journey, certain numbers became our fuel:

• 400+ beta testers actively providing feedback
• 900+ people on our waitlist before launch
• 16 pre-committed clients with signed letters of intent at $39/month
• 10 months of full-time development before our first alpha

These numbers weren’t vanity metrics. They were proof that we were solving a real, painful problem for real people.

July 6, 2025 – Launch Day

Then came the big day. We flipped the switch.

PopHop went from closed beta to public launch, and the response was beyond what we expected.

Within the first 24 hours:

• Six communities were live and active
• Paying customers began using our Lifetime Deal
• The platform held up under real user traffic
• Zero critical issues — only small UI tweaks

The moment we saw our first paying user create their first course, we knew every late night and tough decision had been worth it.

What We’re Building vs. What Others Built

Most existing platforms focus on the creator, not the community. For example:

• Skool charges $99/month and only lets owners monetize.
• Circle offers great UX but is too costly for smaller creators.

PopHop takes a completely different approach.

We built:

• Member-to-member economy: Everyone can earn, not just owners
• External selling: Like Gumroad, but embedded within communities
• Affordable pricing: Starting at $1/month instead of $99+
• Network effects: 1,000 members means 1,000 potential sellers

We aren’t building another social platform. We’re building economic infrastructure for digital communities.

The Secret We Haven’t Revealed Yet

Here’s something most users don’t know.

The member-to-member marketplace — the heart of PopHop’s vision — isn’t live yet. What you see now (the LMS, payments, and community tools) is just the foundation.

The real magic happens when every member can sell inside and outside their community. That update is coming soon, and it will complete the vision we started with: transforming communities from audiences into living economies.

The Team That Made It Happen

This journey wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible team:

• Thilina (CEO): The visionary who experienced the problem firsthand and refused to accept the limits of current platforms
• Sandun (CTO): The technical architect who made sure PopHop could scale
• Rashmi (CPO): The product strategist who kept us focused on user needs
• Our developers: Three brilliant engineers who turned ideas into reality

16 Months of Lessons

If there’s one thing we learned, it’s that building something meaningful takes time, validation, and total commitment.

Here are our biggest lessons:

• Problem validation matters most. Spend time understanding the pain before writing a single line of code.
• Architecture is everything. The right technical decisions early on save months later.
• Listen to users. Every alpha and beta tester shaped what PopHop became.
• Commit fully. Going full-time as a team made the impossible possible.
• Be patient. Sixteen months felt long, but it was worth every second.

What’s Next

We’re only getting started. In the coming months, we’ll:

• Scale infrastructure to handle global growth
• Launch the member-to-member marketplace
• Expand beyond course creators
• Introduce features that push the boundaries of what communities can do

A Thank You

To everyone who believed in us when PopHop was just an idea — thank you.

To our beta testers who spent hours giving feedback, to our early clients who trusted our vision, and to our families who stood by us through it all, we’re endlessly grateful.

Yesterday, PopHop became real. Tomorrow, we’re going to change how the world thinks about online communities.

The journey from zero to launch is complete. The journey from launch to impact has just begun.

PopHop is now live at www.pophop.chat.
Join the movement to turn communities into economies.