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It\u2019s 2025, but business cards are still in vogue \u2014 just visit any conference or industry expo and you\u2019ll end up with a pile that\u2019s likely to be discarded sooner than later<\/a>. But as smartphones have become our repositories of information and contacts, people are understandably keen to try out digital alternatives to business cards. <\/p>\n Blinq<\/a>, a startup out of Melbourne, bet that trend would take off when it started off as a hobby project in 2017<\/a>, offering a digital business card app with a QR-code widget. Today, the company is making off with a bag of gold: It now has more than 2.5 million users \u2014 both individual customers and across 500,000 companies in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia. <\/p>\n Off the back of that progress, the startup has now raised a $25 million Series A funding round led by Touring Capital. Returning backers Blackbird Ventures and Square Peg Capital also participated in the round, as did new investor HubSpot Ventures.<\/p>\n \u201c[The Blinq\u2019s QR] was a simple, personal way to share who you are, and it worked well between iPhone users. But it wasn\u2019t until late 2019 when most Android devices caught up on QR scanning, and adoption started to grow,\u201d Jerrod Webb, CEO and founder of Blinq, told TechCrunch. \u201cThen came COVID \u2014 QR codes went mainstream, in-person meetings became more intentional, and\u00a0Blinq\u2019s focus on making those moments seamless and memorable started to take off.\u201d<\/p>\n The startup has taken the B2C2B route ever since. The app lets users create several customized digital business cards for different needs and connect with contacts using them. The app can also automatically capture details and sync them with CRM systems such as HubSpot or Salesforce by using QR codes, email signatures, NFCs, short links, or video call backgrounds.<\/p>\n Blinq is used by individuals, small businesses, and global enterprises, and 80% of its customer base is located in the U.S., Webb said. Its team has scaled from five employees based in Melbourne to 67 across Sydney, Melbourne, New York, and San Francisco, supporting its product development and go-to-market efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time someone uses\u00a0Blinq, they\u2019re introducing it to someone new. And further, we see more frequent usage by active users the longer they\u2019re on the platform,\u201d Webb said. \u201cThat built-in virality drives organic growth and keeps our customer acquisition costs low. On the business side, companies pay per seat. As more employees adopt the product, teams grow organically, creating expansion revenue over time.\u201d<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBerkeley, CA<\/span> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t Blinq competes with several companies providing similar digital business card services, including Mobilo<\/a>, Popl<\/a>, Wave<\/a>, and Wix<\/a>. Of course, the app also has to contend with social networking platforms like LinkedIn, landing pages, and services like Linketree. <\/p>\n But Webb feels Blink is more suited to building relationships, and provides users more ways to follow up and engage with new contacts.<\/p>\n Webb sees digital business cards as more than just an endpoint. \u201cThey\u2019re our wedge. Because when you are the trusted tool at the moment a relationship begins, you earn the right to shape what follows. We\u2019re focused on giving people everything they need to turn first impressions into real momentum \u2014 from dynamic, context-rich profiles to smart ways to stay top of mind. That means expanding into new markets, deepening our presence with businesses and enterprises, and continuing to evolve how people connect in a world that\u2019s changing fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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