- Founded: 2017
- Ceased Operations: 2020
What did HQ Trivia do?
HQ Trivia was a mobile trivia game developed by Intermedia Labs for iOS, Android, iPadOS, and tvOS. First released in 2017, the HQ app allowed users to participate in daily, live, trivia games in which they could win or split prize money. The game was hosted by Scott Rogowsky, who was known for his energetic and enthusiastic presentation style. HQ Trivia quickly became a popular phenomenon, with millions of users tuning in to play each day. The game was praised for its innovative format and its ability to bring people together for a shared experience. In 2018, HQ Trivia was named one of Time magazine’s “100 Best Inventions of the Year.”
HQ Trivia raised a total of $15 million in funding from several investors. The largest investment was from Founders Fund, which invested $10 million in the company.
Who started the company?
Founders Colin Kroll and Rus Yusupov
Why did HQ Trivia go out of business?
HQ Trivia’s popularity peaked in 2018, but it began to decline in 2019. This was due to a number of factors, including the rise of competing apps, technical issues, and difficulty of questions.
In February 2020, HQ Trivia shut down altogether, citing financial difficulties. The company’s assets were sold to Intermedia Labs, which relaunched the app as HQ Words in 2021. However, HQ Words was also unsuccessful and was shut down in 2022.