Delta invests in Zapa Technology
Dateline: 3 July 2009
Delta Invests in new Irish company Zapa
Zapa will shortly launch the new Zapa Tag, a new customer loyalty technology which will pioneer the use of Near Field Communications over mobiles in Europe
Issued 03 July, 2009. Irish venture capital company Delta Partners today announced that it has invested in €2.5m in Zapa Technology, a new Irish company set up by entrepreneur John Nagle which will shortly launch pioneering customer loyalty technology in Europe, using Near Field Communications over mobile phones.
Delta Partners focuses on investing in technology based businesses in Europe. To date, Delta Partners has invested in over 60 technology companies, either at start up or early development phase.
Zapa is the first company in Europe to deploy Near Field Communications technology in a scaled environment via the ZapaTag. NFC is a new technology and will be deployed on all new mobile handsets over the coming years. It estimated that all mobile handsets sold within the next three years will be NFC compliant. Zapa intends to bridge this deployment gap by the introduction of the ZapaTag and deploying contactless readers at the point of sale, showcasing Ireland as a model for the deployment and execution of NFC services.
Initially intended for use in customer loyalty schemes, the ZapaTag is next generation technology for customer loyalty schemes. It works by simply fixing the ZapaTag to the mobile phone handset, which the customer simply taps at the retailer’s cash register to receive loyalty bonuses and rewards. The technology has the potential for many more applications from the ability to redeem loyalty rewards from advertising posters to payment facilities. The ZapaTag also delivers a new level of market intelligence back to the retailer in terms of customer profile.
Delta Partners will support Zapa in establishing its credentials in Near Field Communications in Ireland, with the intention of showcasing Ireland as a centre of excellence for the deployment and execution of NFC services in a scaled manner, reaching out to the wider and scaled markets of Europe. Maurice Roche, General Partner with Delta Partners, who will join the board of Zapa said “we are delighted to be backing Zapa which is at the forefront of NFC applications. This funding will help Zapa roll-out a number of unique applications from customer loyalty schemes to NFC payments and help them secure a leadership position in this market”
Zapa is the brainchild of leading Irish entrepreneur John Nagle, who, as former CEO of card payment services company Alphyra, has in-depth knowledge of the payments, mobile and electronic retail transaction businesses. John Nagle selected Delta Partners over a number of other venture capital companies because of their knowledge of the Irish and European marketplaces and their strong track record in supporting home grown ventures, particularly leading edge technology start ups.
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For further information contact: Maurice Roche Delta Partbners Tel: + 353 1 294 0870