Bellevue-based CardTapp has raised $1.9 million with an idea to replace business cards with custom apps built for salespeople.
The company, founded in 2013, is going after a few different verticals with different app templates for real estate agents, insurance agents, car salespeople and mortgage professionals. Users pay for a subscription and then customize the app with their photo, contact information and whatever else they want to share with leads.
Later, users don’t have to leave potential clients with business cards. Instead, they share their personalized app via text message whenever they meet someone at a networking event. The salespeople get notifications when their apps are used, so they know the right time to follow-up with a sales call.
CardTapp CEO Ben Brashen says about 7,000 people are now using one of the company’s apps, up from about 2,900 at this time last year. The company has 48 employees and plans to use the money to grow above to about 100 by next year.
It’s also getting ready to target new pools of people who need to promote their own business, like doctors and dentists. It’s a category Brashen calls “solopreneurs.” He says CardTapp isn’t trying to get rid of business cards entirely, but he thinks there’s got to be a better option for these sales professionals to stay in touch with potential customers.
“Business cards are garbage, actually,” Brashen said. “They end up in the junk drawer for a week before going into the trash.”
The company raised its first $265,000 in funding last year, and this week brought in another $1.9 million from a group of local angel investors.
