We talk about the ‘Internet of things’ in places like TechCrunch a lot but the vision is still some way of. However, It’s fair to say that someone might come up with a way to give life to billions of every day products. Tingiz wants to be in that space.
This is a platform that enables manufacturers of physical products to create a mobile microsite connected to that product. The idea is that Tingiz wil generate a QR code for a product, and that is used to send people to a mobile site where they can watch a video or see a Facebook page. Think of an Ikea product where you can look up instructions. It’s a mobile site and not an app because who wants to download an app for one product?
Now, I’m not totally convinced by this startup. However, since someone it probably going to do something like this, it might as well be Tingiz I guess. And there may be a role for its use with NFC-enabled mobiles in the future – as QR codes remain an unconvincing technology outside of Japan.
Business model: Monthly fee from product manufacturers. Cheaper than building it themselves for most.
Their ideal sceanrio is FMCG goods like PopTarts: You can Facebook like it, find a local store to buy, etc etc. Or a home entertainment system or TV – Tingiz could have have links to a set up guide, video etc.
Eyal Shahar is CEO, former cofounder of Matis Web agency and most recently at large portal Walla.co.il. He also cofounded Go2Web20 with Orli Yakuel.