"Restarting the clock that stopped ten years ago."
Over a decade ago, I built one of Korea’s earliest digital business card services using NFC. I wanted connections to continue beyond the moment of exchanging cards—and for those connections to become opportunities. But back then, smartphone penetration, NFC-readiness, wireless-network quality, and—above all— the notion of digitizing networking itself beyond the card were simply too early for the market. After about a year, we shut the service down—yet my inner clock stayed there.
In Oct 2023, our team restarted development of CONNECT. Rather than merely digitizing the card, we designed a business SNS where relationships move around the card. After six months of focused development and dozens of field tests, we officially launched at World IT Show (WIS 2024) in April 2024.
World IT Show 2024 — Our First Stage at COEX
The event ran for three days, Apr 17 (Wed) – 19 (Fri), 2024, at COEX, Seoul. Alongside our booth, we operated a hands-on table optimized for on-site networking flows. Visitors took NFC cards instead of paper ones; a tap on a phone instantly opened a CONNECT profile so they could follow and message each other.
Sign-ups: about 1,700 new users over the event
Event: free NFC card giveaway for digital business cards (8 character designs)
Experience design: a 4-step on-site flow—“Tap → Profile → Follow/Message → Schedule a chat”
CONNECT is not a “business card app” — It’s a business SNS based on the card
Plenty of apps focus on scanning/storing cards. CONNECT starts differently: we treat the card as the doorway to everything afterward—connections, conversations, notes, intros, and opportunities—stitched digitally. We aim to be a “K-style LinkedIn,” centered on face-to-face culture and fast execution/response UX.
Card = Pass: introduce yourself quickly via NFC/QR/Link
Relationship Graph: visualize who you met, who introduced whom, and your groups
Conversation Continuity: on-site DMs, follow-up meeting scheduling, and reminders
ESG: paperless networking that replaces paper cards
What the Past Taught Us
Why did the old service stop? Maturity, usability, and ecosystem were all lacking—at once. This time, we addressed all three.
Technology: NFC/web performance, browser compatibility, push/notification infra, and security standards have matured.
Usability: near-instant flows with a single tap, lightweight access via links without app installation.
Ecosystem: in-person events (expos, meetups, seminars) surged, making digital follow-up a norm.
Timing is strategy. CONNECT launched where market, technology, and culture aligned.
Pipeline of “Meet → Connect → Opportunity”
CONNECT models the conversion from a “meet” to an “opportunity.” From profile open to follow, DM, scheduling, and intros—we measure conversion at each step and use AI suggestions to propose next actions.
Profile: person/company/skills/links/content in cards
NFC Cards: 8 character editions (event-limited), URL+NFC supported
Messaging: on-site DMs, auto notes on exchanges, follow-up reminders
AI (preview): interest/industry/behavior-based matches and conversation openers
Groups/Events: attendee lists/feeds/follow-up boards for expos & conferences
WIS 2024 in Numbers (3 Days)
New sign-ups: about 1,700
NFC cards: 8 character designs, early stock-out
On-site conversion: avg 1.2s from tap to profile; DM conversion ~1.8× expectation
Re-visits: day-2/day-3 revisit rates rose (UX tweaks from field feedback)
Most importantly, visitors immediately felt what it means to “exchange a card and not be forgotten.” Our core hypothesis for CONNECT was validated on the floor.
Privacy & Security — Safer Networking, Deeper Relationships
CONNECT follows data minimization and least-privilege principles. Users finely control profile visibility; contacts/DM access requires explicit user permission. We operate rate limits, token protection, and abnormal-behavior detection to block spam and crawling.
No collection of sensitive data; pseudonymization & encryption for required fields
Device/location anomaly detection and auto session blocking
Granular visibility (public/followers/link holders/private)
Why We Aim for a K-style LinkedIn
Korean networking is fast—in-person and in follow-through. We built defaults for that rhythm: quick greeting, concise DMs, rapid scheduling, warm intros, and co-work.
CONNECT unlocks human capital trapped in paper cards into relationship data, growing a networking graph where people and opportunities meet more often.
Roadmap — Now & Next
Q2: profile templates (individual/team/company), referral workflow, event dashboard
Q3: AI matching (interest/industry/location/behavior), auto meeting-note summaries, follow-up automation
Q4: enterprise seat licensing, admin console (onboarding/security/domain verification), partner API
Ongoing: character/NFC goods series, ESG report (paper-savings visualization)
There’s one direction: turn meetings into opportunities.
Thank You for Building This Together
This launch wasn’t mine alone. Thanks to our team for six intense months, to staff and volunteers at WIS, and to everyone who visited our booth and shared conversations. CONNECT will keep improving with your feedback.
Author’s Note
