New Delhi: At the age of 12, Steve Jobs famously cold-called Bill Hewlett of Hewlett-Packard for help with a project. This direct approach to seeking assistance and building connections was a practice Jobs maintained throughout his career. He believed that asking for help and reaching out to people was a crucial differentiator between those who accomplish great things and those who only dream. Decades ago, he pioneered the concept of call-to-action (CTA) buttons, except back then, the “buttons” were on an old voice-only telephone.
An NCR tech start-up, ContactMe, has drawn inspiration from Jobs’ philosophy and contemporized it to fit today’s world of networking, particularly social media. ContactMe is an app that provides an easy-to-connect platform for people to reach out to each other while addressing the confidentiality and concerns of its participants.
Currently, many people struggle to see the value of their time when connecting with others for business. Often, after speaking with numerous individuals, one might question, “Is it worth my while?” ContactMe changes this by allowing users to monetize their time. Users can set a value on their time, and if others agree to pay that amount, a transaction occurs. The platform supports “micro-engagements,” ensuring that interactions are short and productive for both the payer and the payee. Users can conduct business without the negativity often associated with monetized interactions.
A significant issue with traditional social networking is the permanence of connections. Phone numbers and emails shared remain shared, leading to confusion over the identities of numerous connections. ContactMe innovates with “controlled disclosure of connect information,” allowing participants to share only what they want, with whom they want, and when they want. If someone cannot contact you without your permission, they cannot spam you. Additionally, the details of the connection and its context are saved, preventing future confusion.
Ashwin Bhambri & Gaurav Sharma, Promotors, ContactMe , said, “We have embraced Steve Jobs’ philosophy and built a platform around it. We are launching a value-driven platform where the payer gets value for money spent and the payee gets value for time spent. Everyone wins.”
And as Steve Jobs would say, “one more thing” – ContactMe is global. Business networking is global, and so is ContactMe. While we enable others to monetize their time and effort, we must also monetize ours. Therefore, it is not free. We have a ‘freemium’ model that allows users to try before they buy. However, to derive meaningful benefits from ContactMe, users need to support the platform. We don’t offer freebies.
The product is offered as a paid app with a low monthly subscription fee. Currently in invite-only mode, early adopters can pre-register at www.makestevesmile.org. A limited set of users will receive the “MakeSteveSmile” Portrait NFT as part of the early access.
The idea has already started to attract interest from strategic investors. Alok Arora, a key figure in the creation and management of Mosambee (a profitable payments company that was acquired by an industry leader), has invested in ContactMe. Alok believes ContactMe creates a new sub-vertical for monetization in a previously unaddressed market segment. Like any consumer internet business, it has the potential to scale significantly. Alok is a BITS Pilani and IIMC alum with experience in Indian, Japanese, and USA markets.
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