Pop! co-founder launches unique competition; will swallow computer that will store entries
Today one crazy entrepreneur will take the meaning of ‘passion’ for his and business partner Chad Stephens’ startup to a whole new level, when Pop! co-founder and CEO Chris Koch swallows a small computer to demonstrate what his new app can do for the world.
Pop! makes mobile shopping and web forms simple by storing and protecting all your personal information on your mobile device. It is launching a $10,000 giveaway that will see the winning entry drawn from within Koch’s body.
As part of the ‘Pop! The Boss’ competition, on Monday 20 October 2014, Koch will swallow a large pill live on streaming video containing a computer chip. Every time someone enters the competition, their details will be sent to the computer chip inside of him via Bluetooth. Because of the battery life required to keep the computer running for 24 hours, the pill itself is quite large — about 3.5cm by 2cm — considerably larger than your average vitamin tablet.
The winning entry ‘popped’ into the computer will score $10,000 cash. Other major prizes will be drawn hourly throughout the day via the @Pop_HQ Twitter feed, including a GoPro Hero 3, a Ferrari track day and an iPad Air.
A number of quite serious risks are involved in the stunt. Doctors have advised that the pill could get lodged at various stages along the journey, including in Koch’s trachea, oesophagus and intestines, which would require immediate surgery. Paramedics will be on hand in case of an emergency.
Says Koch: “Pop! helps you take control of your personal data. We wanted to demonstrate to people that with Pop!, you can send your data to absolutely any location – even inside my digestive system – and keep track of it.
“It’s admittedly a pretty dangerous thing to do. My mum is terrified. But this company is really like my baby and I’ll do just about anything to effectively show the world what we can do for them.
“We hope Pop! can radically change the way consumers both shop and exchange their data online, and control their personal information. This stunt is something that I believe in because it can really demonstrate to people what our technology is capable of.”
To enter the competition and have the chance to win $10,000, entrants must submit their details by entering the code POPTHEBOSS in the Pop! app. Entries must be in within 24 hours of the time Koch swallows the pill.
For the first time, Pop! gives people:
• a seamless way to easily exchange their information with businesses online
• the ability to keep track of their global data footprint
• the power to keep their information up to date with the businesses they choose
Filling out web forms on your smartphone is tedious, so Pop! allows users to automatically populate any online form using data stored on their device.
Says Koch: “Think about when you take a holiday — you purchase a ticket, buy travel insurance, book hotels, cars, tour. There are so many forms and with each one you leave a massive data trail with countless companies.
“We really believe we can not only make this process easier, but help people manage their online profiles better. Pop! is the solution to quite a serious issue.”
The app is completely secure and PIN locked — consumers’ information is stored on their own personal device, and no data is sent to Pop! or third parties, other than the companies they are transacting with. Data can be quickly wiped remotely should a device ever be lost.
Koch and Stephens have already had a successful startup, having created 1Form which sold to the REA Group for $15 million earlier this year. They are using their learnings from that venture to create Pop!.