Scanbuy’s “ScanLife” technology allows companies to connect customers with digital content using barcodes and camera phones.
Motorola, Inc., through its strategic investment arm, Motorola
Ventures, today announced an investment in Scanbuy, Inc., a leader in
mobile barcode solutions. Motorola acted as lead investor and was
joined by Masthead Venture Partners, Hudson Ventures and select private
investors. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.
Scanbuy’s “ScanLife” platform provides a fast and easy way for
advertisers to provide digital information to consumers through the use
of barcodes and camera phones. With ScanLife, businesses can place one-
or two-dimensional barcodes on their product packaging or in a magazine
ad or other type of media. By using their ScanLife-enabled camera
phones to view the barcode, consumers can immediately access
information such as product reviews, price comparisons and coupon
offers. With one click, users can link to a website, launch a video or
share information via social networking tools like Facebook or Twitter.
Barcodes placed on outdoor signage can connect people with information
and directions to stores or other points of interest.
Business users can access the ScanLife Code Management Platform to
track and analyze data such as scan quantities and locations,
empowering them to better understand consumer habits and further target
their advertising. Millions of people around the world already have
ScanLife on devices using major operating systems like Android,
BlackBerry OS, iPhone OS, Java and Symbian, extending the reach and
power of the platform.
“Motorola has looked at this market very carefully and believes that
Scanbuy has the best combination of technology and strong ecosystem
partners in its space,” said Reese Schroeder, managing director of
Motorola Ventures. “Mobile barcodes are an extremely powerful tool for
consumers, businesses and wireless providers, which makes this
opportunity very exciting for Motorola. The camera quality, display
capability and processing power of today’s smartphones, coupled with
advanced network speeds, now enable consumers and the advertising
community to fully take advantage of mobile barcode technology.”
“We have spent the last couple of years securing partnerships with
leaders in the wireless ecosystem that now will set the stage for the
expansion of mobile barcode technology around the world,” said Jonathan
Bulkeley, chief executive officer of Scanbuy. “We are thrilled to have
a strategic investor like Motorola involved at this next stage of
development. Their expertise and resources will contribute to mass
adoption of this great technology.”
