We recently wrote about location-based mobile social network Loopt’s push to launch deals for check-ins, and today, the startup is putting use check-ins to philanthropic use. For every check-in at Chipotle, Panera Bread, or Whole Foods around the country, Loopt will donate $1 towards the Haiti earthquake relief. Half of the proceeds from the check-ins will be given to the American Red Cross and the other half will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.
Loopt founder and CEO Sam Altman said the spots were chosen primarily because they are seeing many check-ins at these vendors. It’s truly a generous and worthy initiative and it also provides a noble inventive for users to enable Loopt’s check-in technology, which the startup recently launched.
Text messaging has also played a significant part in fundraising for Haiti earthquake relief; with mobile donations reaching $35 million.
Yum. More check-ins for MG! Yeehaw!
Looks like it’s Chipotle for lunch today!
Help Haiti.
“check-in technology” ?
I wonder how much technology is really involved in enabling that feature, which everyone seem to copy these days.
it sounds a lot like what causeworld is doing on iphone and android
the more money for haiti, the better!
There are countless startups and companies running similar donation schemes for Haiti (I applaud them all), by why loopt of all of them for the free press? Oh yea, forgot about the branded loopt logo permanently stuck on the side of every page on your site.
Just to clarify, this is running for a full week, not today only. From the Loopt blog, it says from “February 2 – midnight Sunday, February 7.”
http://www.looptblog.com/2010/02/haiti.html
It’s amazing of some of the innovative ways to raise money for Haiti. In the twalky plaform (http://www.twalky.com), there were “twalks” (like tweets with location such that it is talkable and walkable) with photos on auctioning hot models for a date with the money raised going to Haiti.
The reporter used TwalkyEvents (iphone app using GPS to detect events around you) to upload the photos and twalks. Models are of all “sizes” and bids are usually matched accordingly.
Go to http://www.twalky.com/groups/topic/show/id/8499/groupId/2388 for more details.
This is a bit parasitic. If you want to help Haiti just do it. Loopt can make their own commitments or earmark a share of revenue, but to get folks to check it to help Haiti seems to be to grow mind share and business not help Haiti, this is simply exploiting other people’s suffering for publicity, and that’s pathetic.
Agreed 100%. Someone earlier asked why TC hadn’t reported on the other companies doing similar drives. It’s not that TC has a bias, It’s because those other companies didn’t write to TC saying “HEY!! LOOK AT US!”, they just did it.
Pathetic indeed.
Sounds like the sibling (copycat) of causeworld. whatever, so long as it’s for a good cause.
Who cares why, or what’s in it for them? I think you should publish a list of companies not doing anything to help Haiti. Then, cross them off the @sshole list as they get their own donation programs going.
@Matt,
Why is any company or anyone an @sshole for deciding not to help Haiti? What about free will, free choice and the right to associate or disassociate themselves? Frankly, I don’t want my tax dollars going there and for my personal dollars, I already have other, more worthy causes to donate to within the US.
thats good Check-In For Charity: Loopt Giving To Haiti If You Visit Chipotle, Panera, Or Whole Foods