Getyoo launches NFC-based social networking system

Belgian start-up Getyoo has launched in beta a web-based platform designed to enable people to gather all their contacts and social activity in one place. Getyoo is designed to be used with ‘Clickeys’, NFC-enabled devices that allow users to exchange information with people, objects or things in the real world and then easily upload the information they have gathered to the internet.

As well as exchanging information between people, Clickeys can also read tags. “Think of Clickeys as being the electronic combination of your business card and an electronic carrier bag for anything you’d want to carry around. Click, connect & share. It really is that simple,” explains Geoffroy Simon, Getyoo co-founder and COO.

To transfer the information stored on their Clickey, on their return home or to work, Getyoo members insert the device into their computer’s USB port to retrieve all the information that has been gathered.

“How often have you been at a fair, tired of dishing out your business cards, and simultaneously carting around tons of paperwork and brochures? Clickey allow you to do just that in a gizmo that’s hardly bigger than a key”, says Alexis Tinel, Getyoo’s co-founder and CEO. “The Clickey simply bridges the gap between real people and their virtual presence on social networks.”

To begin with, Getyoo is looking to commercialize its technology via partnerships and aims to sell the service to business to business event organizers or event sponsors, Getyoo’s Marie du Chastel told NFCW. “As Clickeys’ two main purposes are business or personal card exchanges and information collection, we think the best way to start is to use Clickeys in closed environments where networking and information research have a central position.”

“We are aware that our product needs a large installed base to take off and that’s the reason why we are first centring our activity around events in which it makes sense to distribute Clickeys,” she added. “Our aim is thus to have Clickeys distributed for free at specific events. Participants will receive a Clickey at the entrance and exhibitors will have received tags in advance for them to place on their stands.”

Getyoo is also planning to launch an API that will enable NFC phones to function as Clickeys in the future.

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