Media and communications fund Syncom Venture Partners annonuced a series A investment of $3 million in ShowUHow, a San Diego based business that could make the traditional instruction manual obsolete.
ShowUHow provides official online video instruction guides, web-based sales and customer support tools. ShowUHow’s clients make and sell products that are advertised as “some assembly required,” or that general consumers may find complex, initially.
According to the company’s website ShowUHow clients include brands sold at BestBuy, CostCo and ToysRUs within the categories of consumer electronics, toys, outdoor recreation and furniture.
Other providers of online instruction manuals, like NeedInstructions.com, offer user-contributed, and editorially crafted “how to” content.
ShowUHow claims its online videos, software and services can help manufacturers reduce customer support costs, and avoid product returns.
Giles Bateman, a co-founder of Price Club/Costco, and formerly a chairman of CompUSA, has joined the ShowUHow board of directors.
The venture-backed company is not, apparently, related to T-Pain the hip hop artist who performs the song “Show U How.”