This S’pore startup is breaking barriers of traditional business cards to redefine networking

Founded in the early days of the pandemic, One Good Card serves as an innovative solution to name card exchanges in a post-COVID world.

Back then, its founder Choong Chao Dong had just left his full-time employment in the military, which left him unfulfilled in his aspirations to become an entrepreneur.

Since young, Chao Dong has always wanted to run his own business, the same way his mother runs her own beauty salon. The courage and determination displayed by his mother in building and growing an independent venture from scratch had deeply impressed him.

Chao Dong knew his entrepreneurial eureka moment had arrived when people could no longer connect like the way they used to because of social distancing. He wanted to overcome this challenge by leveraging technology, allowing people to network without compromising their safety or imitating world leaders in awkward elbow bumps.

His idea was simple — a mere touch of a smart name card on mobile phones can provide instant access to another’s information. This not only minimises physical contact during name card exchanges, but also reduces the number of wasted name cards that are printed annually.

Reuse the same name card, again and again

Every year, more than 10 billion business cards are printed. Unfortunately, many go into the bin when people get promoted, change jobs, or contact details.

Furthermore, name cards can be administratively and financially costly for some companies.

Meanwhile, for people who network often, they may always find themselves running out of name cards. While waiting for the new ones to get printed, they resort to manually keying in personal details on a person’s mobile, which is “frankly, very tedious and outdated,” Chao Dong commented.

“I want to give people the ability to connect more tangibly, without all the barriers and uncertainties,” he added.

Soon enough, he was building a prototype. It took him months and burnt much of his personal savings, but Chao Dong found it worthwhile.

The One Good Card may unassumingly look like a basic business card, but it actually contains a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip.

As most smartphones possess NFC readers, simply tapping a One Good Card on a mobile device will instantly display profiles and other relevant information. This process is similar to how we access MRT stations by tapping our EZ-Link cards on the readers.

Chao Dong admitted that the technology itself is not unique. However, what makes One Good Card different is the platform that he and his team had created.

The One Good Card accommodates the usual business card fare of names, job titles, and contact details. Additionally, it also harbours portfolios, product catalogues, files, payment details, and any other information one desires to share with their network.

The smart name card education

As Chao Dong elegantly puts it, One Good Card is the antidote to the ever-present malady of misrepresentation.

Users and companies have control over what they’d like to tell others. It’s not fixed within the four-sided limits of a business card, and everything can be amended at their convenience on the One Good Card dashboard.

With its latest iteration — One Good Card 3.0 — users are granted the power to better manage their contacts and bask in the warm glow of analytics that reveal just how effectively they are hobnobbing with others.

“[This is] something that paper name cards or business-focused social media platforms will never be able to give you,” said Chao Dong.

Regardless, he shared that it was a challenge to get his One Good Card concept off the ground, especially in the very first year.

For one, his parents, particularly his mother, were not at all impressed with his invention. They couldn’t understand why people would want to use a different kind of name card and how it would make an impact on the corporate world.

His friends, on the other hand, were overwhelmingly positive. They recognised the potential of smart name cards and believe they would be game-changing. Such encouragement helped gave Chao Dong the boost of confidence he needed to find a sweet spot to get people onboard One Good Card.

Chao Dong and his team decided their smart name card shall retain the physical tangibility of a traditional business card for those who do not want to stray too far from the formality. There will also be a complementary QR code on each One Good Card as a backup when phones fail to read the NFC chips.

Additionally, they came up with a mini version of One Good card, which one can stick to their phones, as well as a ring-like accessory called One Good Ring for individuals who prefer to ditch the idea of business card altogether.

“We know it’s hard for some people to make the switch without valid reasons, so we are offering a gradual transition by giving people choices and options,” Chao Dong explained.

Journey as a first-time entrepreneur

Chao Dong noted he spent most of his time in networking events, mingling with the masses to spread the words about One Good Card and how it can revolutionise the art of smart networking.

“We didn’t come in day one to rock the world, nothing like that,” he quipped. “[But] before long, I realised the network effect begins to kick in. One Good Card has become a remarkable icebreaker. It sidesteps the stilted and at times, artificial small talks, and dives right into meaningful conversations.”

For him, the journey does not end here. One Good Card has already provided the option to network more efficiently, and now they are gearing up for the corporate world.

They are currently perfecting One Good Card’s enterprise-grade solution — one that will handle companies’ name card needs, but also streamline personnel management, branding, sales, and everything in between.

It’s a tall order, but Chao Dong and his team are confident they are up for the task. After all, in a world driven by technology, there’s no shortage of similar solutions out there, but there’s only one One Good Card.

Featured Image Credit: One Good Card