Make Better Connections With OVOU’s Digital Business Cards

Vancouver entrepreneur Reza Varzidehkar creatively launched his new startup OVOU with a networking marathon that included attending 100 events in 100 days.

OVOU (pronounced O-VU) is a a digital business card that allows users to make new connections using near-field communication (NFC) or a QR code.

Reza made it his mission to prioritize the human connections that come hand-in-hand with entrepreneurship.

Unfortunately his century event, one he hosted himself to formally launch OVOU, took place on February 20, 2020. Three weeks before the world shut down due to Covid-19 restrictions.

While Reza had built marketing momentum locally with his 100 events plan, it was no competition for the societal shut down that no one could have foreseen.

Never shy and forever the entrepreneur, Reza was back to his networking ways as soon as restrictions would allow.

Reza claims that he visited every car dealership in the Lower Mainland to pitch their Sales Manager with a the perfect leave behind. A OVOU card customized with their own brand’s logo.

Two years since launch, OVOU has hit its stride. Reza and his team recently attended the 2022 RE/MAX R4 Convention in Las Vegas and OVOU’s tiny exhibit booth buried deep in the MGM Grand convention centre was among the most popular at the event. OVOU gave away custom digital business cards as swag, and with 6,500 RE/MAX affiliates at the event, they couldn’t keep up with demand.

Bootstrapped to date, there are currently 40,000 OVOU cards out in the wild making connections.

OVOU now employees 20 with plans to grow to 50 by year-end. They are currently looking for Senior Frontend Developer, Senior Frontend Developers, Product Manager, and Product Designer roles.

Reza’s vision for OVOU is for it to be the ‘connection company’ and it only begins with their unique digital business card.

“We see ourselves as a software company that tries to find the best product to empower people to make better connections,” Reza told Techcouver.

“At the end of the day, the focus is to help people make a better in-person connection. Today, the QR code and NFC is the best tool that we have to do that. If tomorrow AR glasses come and the metaverse, we want to be there, it doesn’t limit us to the card.”