Two new partnerships with publicly traded companies are propelling SavvyCard, the St. Petersburg-based digital advertising platform, into the national marketplace. As it gears up for more growth, SavvyCard is planning to expand its staff and open new offices in New York City and San Francisco.
New partnerships with the Irvine, CA-based CoreLogic and the Annandale, N.J.-based Verify Smart Corp. will help SavvyCard more effectively penetrate the real estate market.
CoreLogic’s Multi-Listing Service software serves 70 percent of the U.S. real estate market, allowing Savvycard to tap into that client base when they’re engaging in regular business activities.
“Our partnership with them means they are gong to be selling our product,” says David Etheredge, CEO, who co-founded the company with Daud Power, Lisa Nalewak and John-David Sims in 2011. “For a small startup, this is a huge benefit.”
Verify Smart Corp. is partnering with SavvyCard to jointly develop proximity services, enabling users to learn more about a listed property while they are nearby.
Verify Smart has made a “substantial” investment in SavvyCard and intends to use it as a “landing platform” for its “proximity solutions,” says Lou Pingitore, Verify Smart Corp.’s CEO.
“We’re very excited about the partnership,” Pingitore says. “What we want to do is really provide proximity marketing solutions to the industry.”
Real estate is one of its first proximity markets, he says.
SavvyCard automates marketing by integrating marketing tools like a business card, brochure, website and social media presence. It targets the real estate industry, business/membership organizations and individuals.
“It’s not just a digital business card,” Etheredge explains. “It’s a mobile marketing tool for people, for businesses, and for products.”
When networking, instead of handing someone a printed business card, SavvyCard users can email or text their new contacts, instantly connecting them to information they normally would have to visit a company website to get.
“You can share your card directly, you can link your card to any type of digital advertisement that you are doing, or you can post your card to social media,” Etheredge explains.
Currently free for individual users, SavvyCard is expected to begin charging $9 per month for individuals and $29 for businesses in early 2018. Large organizations pay a rate based on the number of users.
SavvyCard currently has about 144,000 users, mostly in Florida. About half are in the real estate sector. It employs 12 full-time employees and an additional four are either contract workers or part-time.
Plans call for the addition of four more staffers, probably early next year. “As we begin to scale the business, we’ll be looking to hire [even] more,” Etheredge says. “We’re currently looking for two product managers or product directors, a graphic designer and ... an office manager/operational manager.”
Those who are interested in apply can call 727-502-6012 or visit the company website and use the Contact Us form.
The new offices likely will be co-working or business accelerator-type space, and are intended to facilitate the negotiation of contracts in the Northeast and West, Etheredge says.
SavvyCard is currently in a funding round to raise capital for the expansion. It already has raised some $2.1 million out of its $3.5 million goal.
Read on for more information about opportunities in the Tampa Bay job market.
- MetLife Inc., which currently employs more than 1500 in Tampa, will be adding another 430 jobs as part of a $25 million Tampa expansion, the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation announced earlier this month. A leading financial services company, MetLife will be paying on average more than 150 percent of Hillsborough County’s private sector wage. The company provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to individuals and organizations. For more information, follow this link.
- Home Buyers Marketing II is looking for real estate brokers in Tampa with two or more years of experience and an active real estate license.
- The non-profit Ultimate Medical Academy, which trains healthcare workers, has several career opportunities in Tampa. Among them are an Admissions Representative, Senior Operations Analyst and Software Engineer II. Learn more.
- The St. Petersburg-based Triad Retail Media, a global leader in digital media, is hiring a Director of Sales, Sales Manager, Account Manager and Accounting Manager. Learn more about these fulltime jobs here.
- Davidson Hotels and Resorts, a large hotel management company, has several openings at Don Cesar Resort Hotel on St. Petersburg Beach. It’s seeking an Assistant Controller, Receiving Clerk and some cooks. Check it out here.
If you are hiring skilled workers with five or less years of experience, drop us a line.
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