FOUR entrepreneurs from Wokingham are embarking on a new venture to bring business cards into the digital age.
They have launched a £50,000 crowdfunding campaign to kickstart their new company, Only Card which offers contactless business cards.
Two of the businessmen are well-known locally as they are councillors – Gregor Murray and Daniel Hinton. They are launching the product in a personal capacity and is not connected with their borough and town council roles.
Mr Murray said the team are building the company from the ground up, and are now appealing for support.
“We saw a similar product in a different market a while back, and wanted to bring it to the UK,” he explained.
Only Card will enable businesses to transfer their contact details, price lists and more by tapping their contactless business cards on people’s phones.
“We want to create a business where rather than having to reprint business cards all the time, we can host contact details, videos, brochures, price lists and anything else that is relevant to your business online,” Mr Murray said.
“You can then update those details as often as you want.”
It will be a subscription-based service, but those who donate to the crowdfunder will pay a one-time fee for lifetime access.
“Alongside our Essentials card, we also have Limited Edition cards on offer during crowdfunding,” Mr Murray said.
These include a Gold Lifetime card and a Silver Lifetime card for those who pledge at least £50 to the crowdfunder.
“Once you’ve paid the one-off fee into the fundraiser, you’ll never be charged again,” he explained.
And the vision behind Only Card is all about sustainability.
“Approximately 88% of business cards get thrown away within a week of being handed over,” Mr Murray said.
“Instead of cutting trees down, we want to help them grow.
“That’s why we will also plant a tree for every single card that we sell.
“As a business, taking an ethical, sustainable stance and giving back to the community is so important,” he added.
And Mr Murray hopes the cards will reduce the risk of catching the coronavirus, by reducing interaction with others.
The Only Card team are hoping to meet their £50,000 goal by Thursday, October 15.
“The purpose of this Kickstarter is to be able to move the business forward quickly,” he added. “The money will enable us to set up premises within Wokingham, install printers and print the cards ourselves.”
And the business proposal has received positive feedback so far.
“A lot of people have opened conversations with us about how we can support them going forwards,” he added.
“We want to sell cards anywhere in the UK, Ireland and across the whole world. Some of our supporters already have come from Australia, some from America and some from Europe.”
The team initially plan to work with businesses in the South East, but hope to reach customers across the UK.
To find out more, visit: kck.st/35BuAcM
