My Name Is E wins The Next Web startup competition

The Next Web conference in Amsterdam just announced the winner of their startup competition. The judges were unanimous in naming My Name is E, and the startup got the audience vote as well.

“E” enables you to collect all your social and contact accounts – on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and any other network – in one spot, and share them in real life by using any mobile phone or Connector, the USB product they also sell.

It’s not dissimilar to Poken in that latter respect, but as well as the wireless USB device it also lets you exchange cards between iPhones, Blackberries, Android phones, Windows Mobile phones, Nokias, Motorolas, Palm phones, and so on via the mobile web. So it’s a better interface all round – but it will face stiff competition from Poken which is already up and running and selling in big numbers in Europe and Japan and is poised to launch a marketing operation in the US.

E Mobile works a mobile web browser. You log in, select a card, and add your contact. To exchange a card with someone, you enter each other’s usernames on E. E will share the selected cards and automatically ‘friend’ you with the person you’re meeting on the social networks of your choice. It also supports industry standards like vCard exporting. It’s not done by Bluetooth or Infrared connection but locates you via the your IP location. You show the person you want to exchange cards with a unique pass code, they enter that into their phone and you’re then connected.

I think what people like most about the idea is that it doesn’t require a native app to run an gets rid of business cards. It also allows you to connect via Facebook, Linked, in etc, without having to go back to your office and do all the time-consuming inviting. However, I rather doubt business cards – which are about 300 years old – are about to disappear.


E on iPhone from My Name is E on Vimeo.