Many businesses rely on printed business cards for marketing and networking and about 27 million cards are printed on a daily. However, these cards can be wordy, contribute significantly to our carbon footprint, and are easily misplaced. Last year, at a tech event in Uganda, I collected over 15 business cards. Upon returning home, I realized I had lost 7 of them, including vital connections.
This experience sparked an idea to solve this issue for myself and potentially commercialize the solution.
What I Built
I developed iScan, a simple Flutter mobile app that allows users to scan QR codes, extract and summarize the information using Gemini Generative AI, and instantly receive the scanned info via Twilio SendGrid and Twilio SMS. This way, users don't have to worry about losing business cards anymore.
Here in Uganda, a few smart companies have QR codes on their business cards, unlike the Western world. My startup idea also involves educating businesses about the environmental impact of printed cards and promoting the use of digital QR codes for contact exchange.
One QR code on a single flyer can reduce carbon footprint, save time, and cut unnecessary expenses on cardholders, printers, and design services. The potential applications of QR codes are vast—they can be printed on cups, clothing, and many other items.
Wait...people are already doing this? Yeah...but... I do have unique insights... just buckle up!
Demo
Check out the demo of iScan currently:
Twilio and AI
iScan leverages Twilio's SMS and SendGrid email services to ensure the scanned business card information is instantly and reliably delivered to the user's phone or email. The integration with the Gemini API Generative AI helps to summarize the information, making it concise and easy to store.
Here’s how it works:
QR Code Scanning: The app scans a QR code from a business card.
Information Extraction and Summarization: The extracted information is summarized using Gemini API.
Instant Delivery: The summarized information is sent via Twilio SMS and SendGrid email to ensure it’s accessible anytime, anywhere.
📌 Read More:
So I had started on the mobile app development before announcing this challenge; I had to add just AI & Twilio. See GitHub ReadMe for acknowledgments and full documentation 🚀...
Advocacy
By advocating for the use of QR codes on business cards, I hope to encourage companies in Uganda to adopt more eco-friendly practices. QR codes can be placed on various items such as cups, clothing, and more, making information exchange effortless and sustainable. If I win, I plan to use the prize money to scale the project, enhance its features, and focus on marketing and expansion.
Conclusion
If you're someone who frequently attends tech events or meetups, you can relate to the frustration of losing business cards. With iScan, that worry is a thing of the past. Join me in making business networking greener and more efficient.
Ohh... the U is basically for Uganda - but QR Codes are global & scalable anywhere you go: I just want to target the Pearl of Africa first 🌟.