Hardware-software pairing to enable enterprise digital transformation across industries
Austin, Texas [April 18, 2018] – Today Phunware, an enterprise mobile software company whose mobile application lifecycle management platform helps brands engage, manage and monetize mobile users worldwide, announced a partnership with Kontakt.io, a global IoT (Internet of Things) platform provider. The partnership pairs BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacon hardware from Kontakt.io with Phunware’s powerful platform to enable real-time indoor wayfinding, workflow optimization and a host of other use cases. It also makes Phunware Kontakt.io’s solution partner, which means Phunware’s solutions can be offered to Kontakt.io’s end customers.
Across industries, enterprises with physical venues (hospitals, retail stores, live event venues, manufacturing facilities, corporate campuses, etc.) struggle to engage site visitors and optimize business operations. Internet of Things and location-based technologies help address these problems, giving these companies tools previously reserved for the online space. Their adoption proves that digital transformation is rapidly progressing: Gartner estimates that in 2017, 30% of enterprises had adopted IoT products and by 2020, this number is expected to reach 65%.
Phunware helps businesses transform the patient, visitor, shopper, resident, employee, fan and other customer experience with iOS and Android mobile solutions that provide real-time utility and engagement. The partnership with Kontakt.io adds a location and IoT layer to Phunware’s solutions to enable real-time “blue dot” indoor navigation, trigger actions, track equipment and more. Having designated Phunware as a solution partner, Kontakt.io can now directly offer Phunware software and applications to its end customers who are looking for out-of-the-box solutions. As a result of the partnership, both companies are extending their product offering and expecting to reach new customers.
“At Kontakt.io, we are making the Internet of Things as easy as consumer technologies, so Phunware’s engaging, easy-to-use software was a natural fit for us,” said Philipp von Gilsa, CEO at Kontakt.io. “Phunware’s team has the expertise and product needed to drive the digital transformation of healthcare, retail and other verticals on a massive scale. We are excited to work with Phunware to make this shift happen.”
“We are thrilled to begin this journey with our partners at Kontakt.io, leaders in BLE technology,” said Alan S. Knitowski, CEO and Co-Founder of Phunware. “Location accuracy and precision are critical when creating amazing mobile experiences for enterprise customers and their end users. We chose to partner with Kontakt.io because their hardware offers industry-leading accuracy, reliability and scalability.”
Phunware’s Location-Based Services module for iOS and Android can be embedded within a fully configurable Phunware-managed app or within a customer’s existing app. Joint implementations between Phunware and Kontakt.io to date include healthcare and corporate campus facilities.
About Phunware
Phunware is the pioneer of Multiscreen as a Service (MaaS), a fully integrated suite of platform products, solutions and data that allows brands to engage, manage and monetize their anytime, anywhere mobile application users worldwide. Phunware helps the world’s most respected brands create category-defining mobile experiences, with more than one billion active devices touching its platform each month. On February 28, 2018, Phunware also announced its intent to go public through a merger with Stellar Acquisition III, Inc (Nasdaq: STLR), a publicly-traded blank check company, and to launch a cryptonetworking Token Generation Event (TGE). For more information about how Phunware is transforming the way consumers and brands interact with mobile in the virtual and physical worlds, visit www.phunware.com and follow @phunware on all social media platforms.
About Kontakt.io
Kontakt.io digitalizes the physical world. Our Internet of Things (IoT) platform and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tags and beacons are the cornerstone of solutions improving mobile customer experience, indoor wayfinding, asset and people visibility and condition monitoring. We focus on public spaces, healthcare and food and pharma supply chains. With more than two million devices shipped, hundreds of installations in place and a global customer and partner base of 20,000 businesses, we are the number one beacon provider globally. Reducing the risk of IoT project failure through high quality technology, expertise and support has garnered Kontakt.io a loyal customer base that continues to grow. Our in-house R&D focuses on connecting artificial intelligence, blockchain and IoT. To date, Kontakt.io has raised seven million dollars in venture capital.
