Africa’s first social card offers innovative way to do business
|Published
CAPE TOWN - The founders of Wave Innovate, Dr Chad Marthinussen and Gino Lange, have launched a new digital way to do business.
Best friends Dr Chad Marthinussen, 27, from Paarl, and Gino Lange, 35, from Woodstock, launched Vault Share last week, the first social card and application in Africa that encourages authentic and meaningful interactions in any social or business environment. It is the 21st-century way of networking.
The duo are determined to change the narrative around African technology solutions and products by launching leading products across a number of technology and business genres. This includes the successful Nanowave face mask, which saw the company go global with its success and saw the employment of more than 1,000 people during the crippling Covid-19 pandemic.
Its latest gadget allows for an individual’s contact information to be stored without needing an intermediary application.
An individual’s online profile and live digital biography are stored in one place and instantly shareable at a tap.
“With the share card, you do not need to handle someone else’s device to help them find your details; they have full access to it via Vault Share. We believe that Covid-19 has opened the door for many novel ideas to come to life, and novel ways of doing things will soon become the norm,” Marthinussen explained.
Marthinussen said Vault Share is a near field communication (NFC) based card set to “revolutionise the art of global networking” as handing out business cards is an outdated form of networking.
“I decided to look for a piece of technology that could make the process of networking smoother, slicker, safer and also more holistic.
“The act of handing over a business card is very outdated and not very effective, and I wanted to create something that would add value to the end user by allowing them to get the most out of their social interactions.
“Gino and I realised that South Africa (and Africa) does not have a premium lifestyle-orientated carry-on ecosystem and thus we ventured to create the Vault brand.
“The technology is relatively new, with interest growing daily. The end goal is clear with where we want to go with the technology. The social aspect is only the start,” Marthinussen said.
He said Vault Share uses low-power Bluetooth technology and NFC to transfer pre-stored data from the social card to a new acquaintance, which in turn with just one tap allows a collection of an individual’s relevant and impact digital content to be made available.
Vault Share will work with business-to-consumer services, such as students, business owners, business professionals, recruiters and social media users; business-to-business retail, such as shopping malls, brand stores, petrol stations and convenience stores; and business-to-business hospitality, such as hotels, casinos, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, schools, stadiums and airports.
“The Vault is a minimalist, radio-frequency identification (RFID) theft-blocking wallet. This non-traditional wallet expands to hold up to 15 cards and comes with an attachable cash clip to hold your bills,” Marthinussen said.
He added the Vault and Vault Share products will be of tremendous value to individuals and will ensure their vital credit card information is safe and secure, considering the rise of credit card skimming in the country.
“With the festive season approaching it will be even more prevalent. We believe that the use of Vault Share will result in more effective networking and more measurable conversions,” Marthinussen added.
The Vault Wallet retails for R999 and the Vault Share card for R799.
African News Agency