NEW YORK, NY – beam officially launched out of beta today as the first social impact app to turn everyday retail experiences into opportunities for social good. Utilizing industry-leading proximity technology and push notifications, the app empowers people to donate corporate dollars to causes they care about by visiting retailers they love. beam is reinvigorating retail by engaging consumers who are eager to socially impact and support brands with a shared commitment to charitable causes -- deepening connections between consumers and top brands including Think Coffee, Pinkberry, Dig Inn and Inday.
“We’re really proud to be one of beam’s early partners, and we’ve already reaped some amazing benefits in working together, particularly in engaging millennials,” said Jason Scherr, Founder and CEO of Think Coffee. “beam’s users take the time to understand where they shop and what those retailers stand for. I expect we’ll see continued growth in brand loyalty and an increase in bottom-line sales as consumers engage with our brand in new and meaningful ways via beam.”
Co-founded and developed by CEO Viveka Hulyalkar, a former McKinsey & Company consultant, and CTO Alexandra Salvatore, previously an iOS developer at Tinder, beam helps retailers build hyper-engaged communities and develop brand loyalty around the joint mission of social impact.
“We’re living in a very uncertain time, and there’s a huge demand, especially among young people, for more accessible ways to make a tangible difference, and create positive social change," said Viveka Hulyalkar, beam Co-founder. "By turning routine purchases into a free way for users to impact issues they care about, beam makes every day more meaningful and rewards brands that give back.”
A pilot partner of Foursquare's Pilgrim SDK, beam automatically sends users a push notification when they visit partner brands’ retail locations. Users can then open the notification to view a list of four retailer-supported nonprofits and choose one they care about, directing the retailer to make a small (5-25¢) donation to the chosen non-profit on their behalf. The app’s “Impact” screen makes it easy for users to track their impact and see it increase towards a tangible goal, like funding a book for a girl in Ethiopia.
“In rolling out Foursquare’s Pilgrim SDK, we were looking for pilot partners that would help to demonstrate the positive implications and impact of this next generation location technology,” said Jeff Reine, Head of Platform Partnerships at Foursquare. “beam was a natural choice tying social good into location-based retail experiences. We’re thrilled to help support beam’s mission via this industry-leading technology.”
Supported charities include Days for Girls, Hudson Guild, Chef’s Collaborative, Family Farm Disaster Fund (supporting farmers displaced by Hurricane Harvey), and International Rescue Committee (providing resources for refugees).
Beam is an iOS app available for free download in the App Store.
To access the media kit, please click HERE.
About beam
beam is a social impact app that empowers users to easily support causes they care about by visiting retailers they love. The app is on a mission to elevate social consciousness by redefining everyday retail experiences to help people engage more deeply with the issues that are important to them - all while building loyal brand communities and deepening connections between users and partner brands. The iOS app uses industry-leading proximity technology and integrates into the checkout flow in retail partners’ apps to let users automatically donate corporate dollars to supported causes of their choice with each visit. For more information, please visit beamimpact.com.