With over 2.5 million users across 500,000 companies in 189 countries, Blinq is scaling the platform that powers first impressions – and everything after. The new funding will support global expansion, particularly across North America and Europe, and accelerate Blinq’s roadmap to become the connective tissue modern relationships have been missing.

MELBOURNE, Australia, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Blinq, the digital business card platform helping professionals connect instantly and stay top of mind, today announced a $25 million Series A funding round led by Touring Capital, with participation from existing investors Blackbird Ventures and Square Peg Capital, and new investor HubSpot Ventures. The funding will accelerate Blinq’s global growth and power the next generation of tools for professionals kickstarting meaningful relationships.

Blinq started as a digital business card. Today, it leads the way in how over 2.5 million professionals share who they are, save valuable connections, and follow through – whether they’re meeting a new potential client, investor, or collaborator. Blinq is on track to surpass 50 million card shares in 2025. This viral growth makes Blinq one of the fastest-growing platforms servicing the first moment of connection between two people and the market leading digital business card solution globally.

Blinq captures the moment most platforms ignore: when two people meet for the first time. Instead of focusing on managing relationships after they’ve formed, Blinq zeroes in on the first few seconds – when attention is highest, intent is clear, and trust is still being formed.

“Blinq is positioning itself at the very top of the professional relationship funnel,” said Priya Saiprasad, co-founder and general partner at Touring Capital. “It’s building the system of record for in-person networking and doing it with a product that’s delightfully simple, beautifully designed, and already proven to scale.”

Blinq users create personalized digital business cards and share them instantly via QR code, email signature, NFC tap, short link, or video call background. Users can create multiple cards tailored to different contexts – work, side hustle and personal use – so they always show up the right way, in the right moment. Each interaction leads to a sleek profile – no app from the other person required – where contacts can connect, capture details automatically (like where and when you met), and sync into CRMs like HubSpot or Salesforce.

“For 700 years, business cards have been paper, passive, and easily lost,” said Rick Baker, Partner at Blackbird Ventures. “It wasn’t until the pandemic normalized QR codes that this shift became possible. Blinq has seized the moment to bring this centuries-old ritual into the cloud, and in doing so, they’re transforming how professionals initiate relationships.”

This B2C virality has fueled serious B2B momentum: over 7,500 businesses now use Blinq to manage employee cards at scale, control how their brand shows up, onboard teams faster, and capture contact leads automatically. Blinq cards are already being used by employees at more than 90% of Fortune 500 companies.

“This round marks a pivotal step in Blinq’s journey to become the relationship layer for modern professionals,” said Jarrod Webb, CEO and Founder at Blinq. “We’re not just helping people connect – we’re helping them act on every relationship that starts. Blinq is becoming the infrastructure for how modern relationships begin and grow.”

Where CRMs and social platforms focus on existing contacts, Blinq is building the first system of record for real-world, first-time professional interactions – optimized for speed, context, and follow-through. In a world where your identity is fragmented across various platforms – and new connections are too easy to forget – Blinq gives you one place to show up well in that first interaction. It’s a dynamic identity layer that keeps contact details current and helps you manage every version of yourself in every first moment.

As the platform becomes increasingly embedded in business workflows, investors see an opportunity to expand how professionals initiate and manage relationships.

“We are excited about how Blinq transforms fleeting encounters into lasting and valuable professional relationships,” said Adam Coccari, Managing Director at HubSpot Ventures. “By capturing the context around a new connection and seamlessly integrating with existing tools like HubSpot, Blinq is building a relationship intelligence layer for millions of individuals and organizations around the world.”

About Blinq

Blinq helps professionals connect in a way that’s fast, memorable, and built for follow-through. Founded in Australia, Blinq is now the world’s top-rated and most popular digital business card platform, with over 2.5 million users across 500,000 companies and offices in Sydney, Melbourne, San Francisco and New York. From individuals to global teams, Blinq makes it effortless to start – and scale – better professional relationships. Learn more at https://blinq.me.

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SOURCE Blinq

SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Nomad eSIM, a business line of LotusFlare, continues to see strong growth by delivering high-speed global connectivity to international travelers. Since its launch in 2021, Nomad eSIM has rapidly become the go-to solution for travelers seeking reliable, affordable internet access in 200+ destinations worldwide.

Customers use Nomad to save up to 70% compared to traditional roaming charges, avoid bill shock, and activate eSIMs in seconds. The product has earned a 4.8-star rating on the Apple App Store and widespread word-of-mouth referrals. 

Building on this consumer momentum, Nomad proudly launched its Nomad Enterprise eSIM portal in 2024. This portal provides businesses with a centralized solution to efficiently manage, assign, and monitor connectivity for their employees. Adoption has been positive, with businesses from financial services and manufacturing, to travel and pharma all leveraging Nomad to optimize their employee travel and reduce employee roaming costs.

Equally transformative is Nomad’s eSIMfx service, which enables brands like OTAs, airlines, and fintech to integrate eSIMs into their offerings. Partners can offer seamless global connectivity with minimal development effort through robust APIs, SDKs, or no-code microsites. This unlocks new revenue streams, drives customer loyalty with travel benefits, and positions partner brands as all-in-one travel solutions. By partnering with eSIMfx, businesses can boost revenue and tap into the growing demand for global connectivity.

“Global eSIM connectivity is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity to modern businesses,” says Shern Ng, Head of Product at Nomad. “Nomad eSIM is at the forefront of this transformation, empowering companies and travelers to connect seamlessly wherever their journey takes them. Simultaneously, we enable businesses to offer true connectivity as part of their service.”

With more exciting features for consumers and businesses launching in 2025, Nomad eSIM remains committed to innovation and expansion. It is poised to continue its success in leading the global connectivity space across both consumer and enterprise markets.

About Nomad:
Nomad, a business unit of LotusFlare Inc., simplifies global travel by providing affordable, high-speed, mobile data services in over 200 destinations worldwide. With flexible data plans at local rates, Nomad eliminates expensive roaming charges. Travellers can browse data plans for their upcoming trip, install and activate eSIM in seconds, and connect to a 5G network upon arrival.

Contact
Magdalena Arnautovic
Integrated Marketing and Communications Manager Email Address: magdalena.marjanovic@lotusflare.com

SOURCE LotusFlare

LOS ANGELES, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — California’s landmark bill regulating surveillance pricing, AB 446 (Ward), advanced out of the Assembly Committee on Judiciary today by a vote of 8 to 3.

“Companies are using our data against us in ways that we fully don’t understand,” said Justin Kloczko, tech and privacy advocate at Consumer Watchdog. “We need a law preventing companies from using personal data to decide how much to charge each person.”

The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Chris Ward and is co-sponsored by Consumer Watchdog and the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council.

In an era of mass surveillance and rapidly accelerating AI, AB 446 prohibits businesses from using personal information of a consumer to adjust the price of goods, said Consumer Watchdog. Despite California having the strongest data privacy laws in America, there is nothing stopping companies from using personal data to set prices, said the nonprofit. 

“This is predatory. This is discriminatory,” said Ward during today’s Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing.

The bill proposes an outright ban on surveillance pricing, defining it as “offering or setting a customized price for a good or service for a specific consumer or group of consumers, based, in whole or in part, on covered information collected through electronic surveillance technology.”

This include data on a “consumer’s behavior, characteristics, location, or other personal attributes, whether in physical or digital environments.”

The bill has been amended to clarify exemptions. Examples of when surveillance pricing doesn’t happen include when:

The difference in price is based solely on the costs of providing the service to different consumers.A discounted price is offered based on publicly disclosed eligibility criteria, like signing up for a mailing list.A discounted price is offered to members of a group, like teachers, veterans, senior citizens, or students.A discounted price is offered through a loyalty program that consumers enroll in.

Bill supporters include the American Economic Liberties Project, Consumer Federation of America, EPIC, Consumer Reports, TechEquity, and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Those opposed to the bill include the California Chamber of Commerce, the American Advertising Federation, and the California Retailers Association. 

Assemblymember Ash Kalra, the committee chair, said the proposed law is not burdensome like industry opposition makes it seem.

“We don’t want surveillance technology to be used to separate people and charge them different prices,” said Kalra. “I think the outcomes then really take us down a dark path.” 

Last year, Consumer Watchdog outlined examples of pricing algorithms in a report titled “Surveillance Price Gouging.” Companies are trying to read people’s minds and anticipate how bad they want a product and how much they are willing to pay for it, based on data such as scrolling habits and geolocation, said the nonprofit. Orbitz deployed a pricing algorithm assuming that Mac users were wealthier than non-Mac users, and charged them more for hotel rooms. And despite Consumer Watchdog requesting identical rides with the same origin and destination, and the same distance and route traveled, one rider was charged $5 more on Lyft than the other person using Lyft. There shouldn’t be a reason for that, and it’s unclear why, said the nonprofit.

The Federal Trade Commission in the final days of the Biden Administrations said surveillance pricing does happen, but the FTC appears to have now bailed on the issue under the Trump FTC, said Consumer Watchdog. California legislators now have an opportunity to address surveillance pricing, said Consumer Watchdog. 

“A law regulating surveillance pricing is especially important during a time when grocery prices have increased, the data collected on us is incredibly detailed, and the unprecedented nature of corporate algorithms and AI,” said Kloczko. “This idea that every person has an individual price is a bad one.”

View a short Consumer Alert video on surveillance practice here.

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SOURCE Consumer Watchdog