Goodbye Business Cards: The Rise of Digital Connections

In 2025, despite the digital age, business cards are still a common sight at conferences and expos. They are often discarded soon after being received. The shift towards smartphones has sparked interest in digital alternatives to traditional business cards. Blinq, a startup based in Melbourne, launched in 2017 as a hobby project. It offers a digital business card app with a QR-code feature. Today, Blinq has over 2. 5 million users, including individuals and 500, 000 companies across the U. S. , Canada, the U. K. , and Australia. Blinq has recently secured a $25 million Series A funding round. This round was led by Touring Capital, with participation from returning investors Blackbird Ventures and Square Peg Capital, as well as new investor HubSpot Ventures. The journey of Blinq highlights the evolution of digital networking. Initially, the app allowed users to share contact information via QR codes. This feature worked well among iPhone users but gained broader adoption when Android devices improved QR scanning capabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic further boosted the use of QR codes, making in-person meetings more intentional and seamless. Blinq's strategy involves a B2C2B approach. The app enables users to create multiple customized digital business cards for various needs. It also allows users to connect with contacts using QR codes, email signatures, NFCs, short links, or video call backgrounds. The app can automatically capture details and sync them with CRM systems like HubSpot or Salesforce. Blinq serves a diverse range of users, from individuals to global enterprises. The majority of its customer base is in the U. S. The team has grown from five employees in Melbourne to 67 across Sydney, Melbourne, New York, and San Francisco, focusing on product development and market expansion. Blinq's growth is driven by its viral nature. Every time someone uses the app, they introduce it to new users. Active users tend to use the app more frequently over time, driving organic growth and keeping customer acquisition costs low. On the business side, companies pay per seat, and as more employees adopt the product, teams grow organically, creating expansion revenue over time. Blinq faces competition from several companies offering similar digital business card services, such as Mobilo, Popl, Wave, and Wix. Additionally, it competes with social networking platforms like LinkedIn, landing pages, and services like Linktree. However, the CEO of Blinq believes that their app is better suited for building relationships and provides more ways to follow up and engage with new contacts. The future of digital business cards is seen as more than just a tool for exchanging contact information. It is viewed as a way to build and shape relationships from the moment they begin. This involves providing users with dynamic, context-rich profiles and smart ways to stay top of mind. The goal is to expand into new markets, deepen presence with businesses and enterprises, and continue evolving how people connect in a rapidly changing world.