The startup killing printed business cards aims to be new Spotify.

Piles of business cards that just lie there and are then forgotten – soon be a thing of the past. In a modern and constantly connected age, the business card has also finally become smart. iZwop®’s founder Martin Strempel was previously a pioneer in the area of mobile-adapted websites. And when sales leaflets for products were to be created, the thought struck him: “Why don’t we make digital business cards?"

Now, a few years later, this thought has become reality. iZwop® is the only non-app business card solution of its kind in the world and enables digital business cards to be sent directly between the phones of users. In addition to contact information, pictures and film clips can also be included, as well as information about the company and products – and with a simple press of a button, the business card is added on the home screen to allow easy access.

“The business card is still a product that is needed, but more and more companies have stopped using printed business cards, as they also realize that these just end up in piles and are then thrown away. Our solution is unique. You get the business card directly in the phone. No app is needed, so you don’t need to download that. You are entered in the customer’s phone and the business card is constantly updated,” says Martin Strempel.

In particular the ability to continuously update business cards is one of the strengths of the solution. If a person’s job title changes, product solutions are updated or a move is made to a new place of work, the profile can easily be updated, which is good for both the environment and the wallet.

Considerable international attention

iZwop®’s unique solution has attracted international attention, as its growth potential is expected to be very high. The company was selected, for example, by Business Sweden for the SURGE program (Startups Undergoing Rapid Growth and Expansion), which resulted in the company spending three weeks in San Francisco. iZwop® has also been selected by Google to participate in its accelerator program, “Google Launchpad”, at its head office in Silicon Valley.

Recently, iZwop® acquired a major customer in the form of Zenuity, a joint venture run by Volvo together with Autoliv. That company is in a phase in which it needs to employ hundreds of new engineers in Sweden, Germany and the US, and it has therefore chosen to switch completely to digital business cards from iZwop.

“As soon as people see our product, they wonder ‘what’s that?’ Then they’re really impressed. People want this product. The potential’s huge and we are not just staying put in Sweden and building up something slowly. We want to be where the action is and where everyone has a global focus, which is Silicon Valley,” says Martin Strempel.

The company is now raising capital to accelerate its establishment in the US. Once there, iZwop® will have the opportunity to enter into partnerships with partners such as Salesforce, Slack, Squarespace, and more.

“Our efforts will allow us to tap into the capital available in the US. We have sky-high ambitions; our goal is to become world-leading. We don’t just want to be one of Stockholm’s largest companies – we have the potential to become a new Skype or Spotify,” concludes Martin Strempel.

Facts:

iZwop® is a startup company that is aiming to get the world to switch from printed to digital business cards. The company is currently represented in Sweden, Spain and the US and is planning to establish a permanent presence in the American market in the near future. iZwop®’s current Swedish investors include several well-known entrepreneurs, such as Magnus Helgesson, nominated as CEO of the year 2012 and speaker of the year, who took Harrys restaurants from 0–700 million in turnover; Therese Albrechtson, founder of Bodyguard and Greyzone, and appointed EU ambassador for female entrepreneurs; Max Söderpalm, sales guru and author of best selling books about sales; and others.

SURGE stands for Startups Undergoing Rapid Growth and Expansion, and is a program that helps Swedish companies become established in the US. Each year, a few companies that are considered to have the right prerequisites to succeed are selected. During the course of two weeks, the companies undergo an intensive program that prepares them for a launch in the US. SURGE is organized by Business Sweden, which is the result of a merger between the former Swedish Trade Council and Invest Sweden.

If you have any press questions, please contact Martin Strempel, Founder & CEO of IZwop®:

Save my digital business card