1Huddle’s 2020 Year in Review

When you’re a startup, every year is a wild ride. And as we all know, 2020 proved to be even wilder than usual.

When COVID-19 hit, 1Huddle didn’t sit back and wait for change to happen. We adapted, we pivoted our business model to support the millions of workers who were impacted by the pandemic, we hosted our largest ever live event on the future of work, and we joined local, national, and international news segments to discuss how we can power workers during one of the most disruptive years in world history.

So a lot has happened this year at 1Huddle. In case you missed any of it, here our top highlights of 2020:

JAnuary 2020

We raised $5 million in Series A funding: This enabled us to increase staffing, accelerate growth, and meet the heightened global demand for our product. 1Huddle’s most-recent investment was led by Tribeca Venture Partners alongside Humbition, NRD Capital, and Newark Venture Partners.

FEbruary 2020

IFA 2020 Convention: The International Franchise Association’s Annual Convention is franchising’s biggest event for business development and personal growth. To make the event more fun and engaging than ever, we gamified the entire thing: including all of IFA’s sessions, keynotes, scheduling and more.

March 2020

Sam’s op-ed was featured in multiple news outlets: When COVID hit, we leaned in. Several media outlets saw how 1Huddle was adapting, so they featured Sam’s message and outlook on the pandemic. Sam’s op-ed “Business Leaders Need to Show Courage During These Difficult Times” was featured in The Newark Times, UPI, and the IFA Blog.

COVID Safety Games: We launched our first game on COVID-19 safety and how to keep your community safe.

We gave away our platform for free: When the pandemic started, a lot of companies needed help and support as they navigated how to communicate with and train their teams while working remotely, so we gifted our platform to companies in need.

APRIL 2020

1Huddle was featured on Cheddar: Sam Caucci joined the Cheddar news segment “Digital Workplace Training in a COVID-19 World” to discuss how COVID-19 will impact the future of workforce training and how our platform is gamifying the onboarding and training experience.

We won a Phase I contract with the United States Air Force: 1Huddle was awarded a USAF SBIR/STTR Phase I contract with USAF to explore how we can help them solve challenges around digital transformation and communication.

We kicked off our Win the Job Campaign: 1Huddle created a COVID-19 Job Portal where people job seekers and furloughed employees can play games on companies that are hiring so they can apply for jobs at those companies, crush the interview, and win the role.

MAY 2020

1Huddle was featured on NBC New York: NBC News reporter Natalie Pasquarella reported on our COVID-19 Job Portal and initiative in the TV news segment “Open For Business: Game, Set, Job Match at NJ Gaming Company.” In case you missed it, we also released a blog on the segment’s top highlights.

We maintained a strong team culture while working remotely: Sam surprised our team by driving across the state of New Jersey to deliver quarantine swag bags to every 1Huddle team member.

We launched our Bring It In podcast series: 1Huddle’s original podcast series Bring It In tackles all things jobs, innovation, and future of work. Episode one was released in May, and now Bring It In is a top rated podcast with 21 episodes that feature CEOs, coaches, educators, elected officials, and entrepreneurs as they share their experiences, perspective, and advice for today’s workforce.

june 2020

1Huddle was featured on Yahoo Finance: Sam was interviewed by journalists Alexis Christoforous and Brian Sozzi for the Yahoo Finance segment “Employers must look past Zoom happy hours and think about connection more urgently.” If you missed the segment, check out our recap blog.

1Huddle was featured on Cheddar…again: Our first segment with Cheddar was such a success, they had Sam on again for the segment “How Companies Can Better Serve Their Clients Virtually.”

July 2020

We hosted the virtual summit Compete 2020: On July 23rd, 1Huddle held our first ever live event on the future of work. Attendees from around the world tuned in to listen to panels and speakers share their deepest insights into the future of work from different vantage points.

We took Capitol Hill: This year, we joined forces with the International Franchise Association to take on Capitol Hill…virtually of course!

august 2020

1Huddle was featured on Nasdaq: Sam joined Jill Malandrino on Nasdaq’s TradeTalks segment to discuss how employers can get employees fired up for work and keep them engaged.

1Huddle was featured on Fox 5/Good Day New York: Former Governor Jim McGreevey announced 1Huddle’s partnership with the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, a nonprofit that helps citizens returning from jail or prison gain employment in the state of New Jersey. So what did our partnership do exactly? Well, 1Huddle created customized interactive games for NJRC members to prepare for job interviews at New Jersey-based companies. Our games provide participants with critical and analytical skills to prepare them for interview processes, all while building time management and essential organizational abilities. 1Huddle also helped participants with resume writing and learning how to research occupations that best suit their skill-sets.

september 2020

We grew our team…

– Kirk Madsen joined the sales team as our new VP of Sales.
– Devin Hiett joined the marketing team as our new Content Marketing Lead.
– Nora Boussatta joined the sales team as our new Sales Development Rep.
– Brad Anderson joined the sales team as our new Director of Enterprise Sales.

october 2020

We launched Get Out the Vote Initiative: 1Huddle’s GOTV initiative showed voters the step-by-step process of sending in their mail-in ballots and getting out the vote!

We hosted our first ever live press conference at 1Huddle’s new HQ: On October 16th, 1Huddle and NJRC hosted a joint press conference detailing our partnership to help 3,000+ returning citizens reintegrate into society by providing access to resources and educational materials. We were joined by leaders in government, activists, formerly incarcerated New Jerseyans, and law enforcement officials who shared their perspective on how our partnership will improve the lives of returning citizens and uplift our communities. Key speakers and guests included:

– Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation
– Jim McGreevey, Former New Jersey Governor and Chairman of the NJRC Board
– U.S. Senator Cory Booker
– U.S. Senator Robert Menendez
– Robert Asaro-Angelo, Labor Commissioner of New Jersey
– Dr. Aakash Shah, NJRC’s Medical Director

November 2020

1Huddle rolled out the Game Shop: This November, 1Huddle rolled out our biggest product release yet: the Game Shop, 1Huddle’s new on-demand game marketplace with over 250 games across 16 workforce skill areas. We have transformed best-selling nonfiction books, seminars, and workshops from elite partners in every industry into quick-burst games that any team can play in minutes.

Sam took part in Covenant House’s annual Sleep Out to end youth homelessness: 1Huddle is partnered with Covenant House New Jersey, a nonprofit that helps transform and save the lives of homeless, runaway, and trafficked young people in New Jersey. Covenant House offering housing and support services to young people who have suffered from abuse, neglect, abandonment, homelessness, and human trafficking so that these youth can get the support and services they need to build a good life for themselves. Every year, Covenant House hosts a Sleep Out where members of the community raise money to help homeless youth secure stable housing, shelter, and employment. This year was Sam’s second time sleeping out, and it was a truly powerful experience. To read Sam’s takeaways, you can check out our blog on his Sleep Out experience.

We were in The Wall Street Journal: 1Huddle was featured in the WSJ article “Companies Tiptoeing Back to the Office Encounter Legal Minefield,” where Sam was interviewed on how we have been devoted to creating a safe workplace for our team to return to work in our brand new Newark HQ.

DEcember 2020

We have donated over $1 million in platform and services to our community of nonprofits, associations, and critically important programs: At 1Huddle, we’re committed to fighting for equal opportunity, access, and respect for all workers. This is why we have donated over $1 million in job training programs to our community.

Saw was named 2020 Founder of the Year: Our Founder and CEO Sam Caucci was recognized by TechUnited:NJ as the 2020 winner of the Founder Award and was honored at this year’s TechUnited:NJ Annual Awards Celebration.

Bring on 2021! 👊