Exchanging business cards at a professional or business meetup is customary. While this tradition has lived on, smartphones have made it easier to exchange phone numbers. But there are a few limitations to it – there is no easy way to instantly share all social profiles, email IDs, or other credentials.
TapOnn, an Indore-based technology firm, is looking to leverage technology to disrupt the conventional business cards exchanging culture as well as make it easier for people to instantly share their social profiles, email, and lots more.
“Effective networking is not happening because there is no efficient way of getting connected or sharing information…,” co-founder Dhruv Jolly told Entrackr.
For instance, he says, a photographer would want to highlight his Instagram or Pinterest profile instead of just a phone number. “There’s a very big demand and a very big gap in terms of networking,” he added.
TapOnn, which has raised $150,000 in angel funding, essentially leverages near-field connectivity (NFC) to offer a smart card/coin which allows you to instantly share your details. Once your TapOnn profile is created (via a dedicated app), you can select all social profiles and other details you want to share, and pair the app with the accessory. These cards can be personalized as well. In case the recipient’s phone doesn’t have NFC, the sender can send a link or QR code (via the app) to the recipient. The link opens on the default browser, which means the recipient doesn’t need to download the app.
The dedicated app also provides analytics and insights, such as how many times you have tapped your card, which can be useful for tracking the effectiveness of networking events or business meetings.
Jolly disclosed that the company has already sold more than 500 TapOnn cards since its launch in November 2022. He added that the company is currently keeping the application free to use but at some point in the future it will consider launching a subscription-based model wherein premium users will get more features, possibly a free bundled smart card.
Some of the future features on the cards (pun intended) are personalized URLs for sharing (akin to Linktree), more customizable profiles and cards, a map to spot nearby friends (similar to Snap’s Map), and the ability to add more information to the user profiles, among others.
Jolly added that his company, TapOnn, is also exploring the B2B market. The company plans to establish an ecosystem where companies can manage all employee smart cards through a single dashboard, granting access to all connections and data. TapOnn will also integrate its API within the firm’s CRM and automation software, making it easier for employees to schedule events/meetings, update contact details, and automate their marketing.
That said, quite a few firms are offering digital visiting cards, an industry estimated to be worth $242.3 million by 2027. A popular platform is Scube, which offers personalized visiting cards with QR codes embedded in them.
Source @Entrackr
