OUR STORY
A native Australian but now residing in Venice beach, CA, my journey as the Founder, CEO of INAMO has been an interesting one. After successfully piloting the first contactless payment-ready wearable in the US, I decided to head back to Sydney, Australia for a quick trip with the intention to return within the month. COVID hit and the Australian Government prevented Aussies from traveling internationally. With our borders closed, I was stuck and our official launch into the US was placed on hold!
It was during this time that I was cleaning out my wallet and came upon two unused gift cards stuck together, dating back 2 years. I started thinking about gift cards and why we don’t use them. I always felt giving a gift card was the gift of last resort. It sent a message to me that the person had run out of ideas. It was so impersonal. Plus, what if I didn’t shop at that merchant's store or the amount loaded wasn’t enough to purchase anything that I actually wanted? In my case the unused cards ended up in my wallet and for others, they’re tossed in a drawer, forgotten and gone unredeemed.
It got me thinking about the whole gifting process. How many times have we all received a greeting card, no matter what the occasion, that started with:
“Hi Pete, wishing you a Happy Birthday <inserted pre-written paragraph(s) of inspirational words> With Love from your favorite Auntie Val xxx!”
Had we all become that lazy? Why write a few heartfelt paragraphs when the greeting card company could do it for us?
What if, for the cost of a greeting card, you could gift that special someone a fashionable wristband that had aspirational words of hope and encouragement, load some money on it like a gift card, record an accompanying personalized video message and have it all delivered to the recipient who could then make contactless purchases at their convenience wherever Visa is accepted?
The outcome? An entirely new category of gifting with a mission to impact people’s lives through the experience of giving differently. I hope we can bring some fun & love to your special someone.
Best, Peter Colbert (Founder, CEO)