Australian tech startup Blinq raises $25M to make paper business cards obsolete

Blinq, the Melbourne, Australia-based tech startup turning handshakes into high-intent digital exchanges, has just landed $25 million in fresh funding to scale what it calls the “infrastructure for first impressions.”

The round was led by Touring Capital, with support from existing backers Blackbird Ventures and Square Peg Capital, and new investor HubSpot Ventures joining in.

The money will help Blinq grow its reach globally and push further into tools that help professionals kick off real relationships—not just collect contacts.

Blinq Scores $25M to scale its viral digital business card platform for professionals

What started as a digital version of a business card has evolved into a platform used by over 2.5 million professionals across 500,000 companies. Blinq’s users can instantly share who they are—whether they’re pitching a client, chatting with an investor, or bumping into a future collaborator. The company expects to cross 50 million card shares next year.

Blinq focuses on a moment most apps skip over: the first time two people meet. “Blinq is positioning itself at the very top of the professional relationship funnel,” said Priya Saiprasad, co-founder and general partner at Touring Capital. “It’s building the system of record for in-person networking and doing it with a product that’s delightfully simple, beautifully designed, and already proven to scale.”

The product lets users create custom digital business cards and share them instantly through QR codes, NFC taps, short links, email signatures, or video call backgrounds. You can make different cards for work, side hustles, or personal use—so you’re always showing up the right way. Recipients don’t need the app to connect; instead, they land on a clean, mobile-friendly profile that captures when and where the interaction happened, and can sync directly with tools like HubSpot and Salesforce.

Rick Baker, Partner at Blackbird Ventures, put it plainly: “For 700 years, business cards have been paper, passive, and easily lost. It wasn’t until the pandemic normalized QR codes that this shift became possible. Blinq has seized the moment to bring this centuries-old ritual into the cloud, and in doing so, they’re transforming how professionals initiate relationships.”

That individual user growth is now pulling in businesses. Over 7,500 companies use Blinq to manage employee cards, keep branding consistent, onboard new hires faster, and automatically collect contact info. The cards are already in circulation inside more than 90% of Fortune 500 companies.

“This round marks a pivotal step in Blinq’s journey to become the relationship layer for modern professionals,” said Jarrod Webb, Blinq’s CEO and founder. “We’re not just helping people connect—we’re helping them act on every relationship that starts.”

While most CRM platforms focus on what happens after a relationship is formed, Blinq is trying to own the first few seconds—when interest is high and attention hasn’t yet drifted. That context can be the difference between a contact that sticks and one that fades.

Adam Coccari, Managing Director at HubSpot Ventures, sees the potential. “We are excited about how Blinq transforms fleeting encounters into lasting and valuable professional relationships. By capturing the context around a new connection and seamlessly integrating with existing tools like HubSpot, Blinq is building a relationship intelligence layer for millions of individuals and organizations around the world.”

Originally founded in Australia, Blinq now operates from offices in Sydney, Melbourne, San Francisco, and New York. Whether you’re a solo freelancer or a global team, the company is betting that how you introduce yourself matters—and it wants to own that first impression.

Jarrod Webb, Blinq CEO and Founder