Blinq, a Melbourne-based startup that uses QR codes as digital business cards, has closed a $25 million Series A funding round led entirely by Touring Capital. Founded in 2017 as a hobby project, Blinq has emerged as a significant player in the digital business card landscape, offering an innovative app that leverages QR codes to streamline networking.
The startup currently boasts over 2.5 million users globally, including individual customers and approximately 500,000 companies across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Additionally, 80% of its customer base lives in the U.S., which is significant considering how strong Blinq is in one of its biggest markets.
Blinq’s app facilitates seamless sharing of contact information through various methods, including QR codes, email signatures, NFC technology, short links, and video call backgrounds. This flexibility means that users can both quickly record tech and quickly sync relevant details directly into their primary CRM of choice including systems like HubSpot and Salesforce. The platform includes tools to improve the experience of in-person convenings, to help make them as memorable as they are productive.
From the first day that Blinq was launched, we’ve hired over [2-3000 employees]. The core team began modestly, with only five staff located in Melbourne. Now, it’s grown to a team of 67 people across Sydney, New York and San Francisco. This growth is a testament to Blinq’s dedication to scaling its operations and improving customer engagement.
We are excited about the future of our platform and the user experience that it provides. He added, “Each time a person uses Blinq, they’re bringing it to someone new. And additionally, we find accelerated use by active users with longer tenure on the platform. User engagement is increasing every day. This unprecedented growth is the clearest indicator of product-market fit as well as a testament to how well the app is driving networking opportunities.
Yet, Blinq wants to be more than the world’s coolest digital business card. It’s all about building active, engaging, contextually-relevant profiles that help you stay top-of-mind across your professional network. Webb elaborated on this vision: “They’re our wedge. Because when you are the trusted tool at the moment a relationship begins, you earn the right to shape what follows. We’re passionate about assisting nonprofits in making their first impressions count. We arm them with vibrant, interactive, data-rich stories and effective, creative strategies to ensure they stay top-of-mind to everyone else.
The pandemic-fueled acceptance of QR codes has been a key ingredient in Blinq’s success story. Webb noted that while Blinq’s QR feature initially catered well to iPhone users, broader adoption only surged when most Android devices enhanced their QR scanning capabilities around late 2019. This change has played an outsized role in boosting Blinq’s upward growth arc.
Blinq continues to excel despite a competitive field. It faces tough competition from alternative digital networking technologies such as Mobilo, Popl, Wave and Wix. Its distinctive focus on ideal interactive digital business cards and user experience distinguishes it from the competition.
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