- With Yeeo—a web app—individuals have the privilege of saving their time and cost of printing cards, which often end up being dumped and ensure their money is invested elsewhere.
- Yeeo’s business strategy brings together environmental conservation and this vision to help enterprises save billions spent on card printing.
- Dubai-based Yeeo has already secured intellectual property rights in 179 countries around the world.
As I navigated through the bustling crowd of delegates from around the world at the Startups Showcase during the AIM Congress 2024, I felt a gentle tug on my jacket. It was Abdullah AlShetiwi, a determined look in his eyes and a welcoming smile on his face.
As I reached out to offer my business card to Abdullah, he intercepted with a gesture, saving me the customary exchange. Instead, he swiftly pulled out his phone, suggesting we swap contacts via a QR Code. With a quick scan and a tap, our contact information—email, cell phone number, website and key work details—were seamlessly exchanged, completing the transaction in mere moments.
Abdullah, alongside his co-founder Saif AlShaiba, are the captains of Yeeo, a dynamic startup based in the freewheeling city of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Revolutionizing the way business executives connect and interact
Together, the startup founders embody a shared vision and unwavering willpower, driven by a singular mission: to revolutionize the way business executives connect, interact and exchange contacts.
“With Yeeo, individuals have the privilege of saving their time and cost of printing cards, which end up being dumped and ensure their money is invested,” Abdullah noted.
Their startup’s journey is fueled by innovation, passion, and a relentless pursuit of possibility, as they seek to empower professionals with seamless and sustainable solutions for networking in today’s fast paced world.
At their booth, Abdullah had strategically placed a placard adorned with startling statistics: in the US alone, approximately 10 billion paper-based cards meet their fate in dustbins every year, equating to a staggering $600 million in wasted wood resources.
In a nutshell, Yeeo seeks to help business executives save key contacts with ease, save money for companies, save time by gathering vital contact details without typing anything and spur business growth through initiatives such as Google reviews.
Their innovation, seeks to help businesses across the globe to achieve these goals, and therefore, revolutionize the way contacts are exchanged by integrating sustainability into this age-old practice.
Yeeo’s business strategy brings together environmental conservation and this vision to help enterprises save billions spent on card printing looks set to resonate deeply with the captains of industry.
Yeeo secures intellectual property in 179 countries
“Connecting customers with contractors in a simple way is what granted us an intellectual property in 179 countries around the world. This application will work on saving people and contractors time and may save your money,” Abdullah told The Exchange Africa.
The traditional exchange of paper-based business cards, he explained, not only perpetuates environmental degradation in the wake of climate change but also reflects a blatant disregard for sustainability in today’s corporate world.
With each paper card produced, enterprises inadvertently contribute to deforestation, water pollution, and carbon emissions.
Additionally, the thoughtless disposal of these cards into office trash bins poses a direct threat to local ecosystems, as they slowly decompose, releasing harmful toxins into the environment.
Through Yeeo’s showcase at the AIM Congress, it became evident to me that this cycle of consumption and waste is no longer sustainable in an era where businesses are increasingly called upon to prioritize eco-friendly practices while at the same time easing business practices through digital innovation.
“The system is secure in as far as securing personal data. We are currently tailoring a service for Dubai Police Department. They will be having their own server, dedicated to them, saved by them… We will be supporting them regarding the application, and they will just be operating it as their database,” Abdullah explained.
Yeeo eliminates task of organizing contacts manually
Moreover, beyond the environmental impact, the cumbersome process of managing paper-based business cards at high-level conferences and networking events became glaringly apparent. Quite often, executives and professionals are burdened with the task of sifting through stacks of cards, deciphering the fine print, and attempting to organize contacts manually in a move where loss is imminent.
This outdated mode of information exchange not only hampers communication, but also detracts from professionalism expected in modern business settings.
In a world where digital solutions offer seamless and instantaneous contact sharing, the reliance on paper cards seems antiquated and out of sync with the demands of a rapidly evolving global economy.
The 13th edition of AIM Congress hosted over 300 startups from diverse fields of innovation and industries drawn from all corners of the world.
Under the theme “Adapting to a Shifting Investment Landscape: Harnessing New Potentials for Global Economic Development,” the AIM Congress was a hotbed of innovation and collaboration initiatives between businesses, investors and government representatives.
Read also: Sustainable solutions: AIM Congress 2024 focuses on agriculture, health and investment
