March/April 2021: Bindle Monthly Update
Dear Friends of Bindle Systems:
Hope you are all safe, healthy and looking forward to warmer weather – can’t come soon enough here in the Northeast of the US!
Updates below – it’s been a rollercoaster of a month.As always, thank you for your support!
Team Binde
UPDATE
Hype, Controversy, and Our Response
As you are likely aware, there has been an enormous amount of hype and controversy about health passes in the press over the past few weeks, including a growing politicization of these platforms.
So, what is our response to all of this polarization and noise? Three things:
Keep shipping code. We’re more confident than ever that we have built the only platform in the US (and perhaps the world) that was specifically designed to mitigate the societal challenges inherent in deploying a “proof of health” system: equity, choice, privacy, security, affordability, fraud, and interoperability.
Adjust our media plans. The current press frenzy does not lend itself to thoughtful, nuanced discussion or debate. As a result, we are going to be very judicious about when and how we show up in mainstream media. Instead, we believe our resources and time are better spent on product development (see above) and continuing our dialogue with policy makers, privacy experts, technology leaders and those who serve underserved populations.
Continue delighting our customers. We signed 9 commercial contracts in Q1, expect to sign 20 in Q2, and will be launching self-serve onboarding for thousands of NY locations in the coming weeks. As you’ll see below, we are also being pulled upmarket into other areas such as sports franchises and Fortune 500 companies
Participation in New York’s Excelsior Pass Program
We received additional confirmation last week that we will be a participant in NY’s Excelsior Pass program and expect to be able to read Excelsior QR codes very soon, possibly by the end of this month.
NYC Chambers of Commerce
We are in the process of creating co-branded microsites with several of NYC’s Chambers of Commerce and have been really excited by the response of these organizations to our platform.
National Vaccine Contract
This week, we will sign a commercial agreement that will make it very easy for Americans in much of the US to claim their vaccine record from participating immunizations registries and turn it into a verifiable digital credential.
Integration Complete with National Office Access Control Software
Last week, we completed our integration with a software platform that is deployed in over 15,000 offices around the US, and we expect the first customers from this partnership to be live by the end of April.
First Fortune 500 Deployment
One of our customers deployed Bindle as part of its back-to-work program for a large, well known consumer brand, and we expect several other Fortune 500 companies to be using Bindle in the months ahead. We see this as further validation of our “closed use case” go-to-market strategy, where we work with existing labs and facilitators on back-to-work and back-to-school deployments.
Signed MOU for a Wearable Deployment
Similarly, another lab partner recently asked us to collaborate on a project for an iconic sports team in the US. This partnership is also interesting in that it will be Bindle’s first deployment on a wearable device, in this case a wristband.
Support for Paid Leave US (PLUS+)
We were one of 250+ companies to sign an open letter to Congress urging the passage of a national policy on paid family and medical leave, and we are optimistic that this legislation will be a component of the American Jobs Plan. While it may seem a bit premature for a company of our size to be getting involved in initiatives like this, we believe there is no time to waste on this topic, and our involvement is emblematic of our commitment not just to supporting our own team, but making sure employees everywhere have access to this critical policy.
Continued Progress on Equity and Access
We believe Bindle is the only company in our space with a senior executive dedicated entirely to Equity and Access. Erica Frenkel, copied, has hit the ground running since joining on March 1 – please reach out to her if you have ideas about how to ensure that Bindle becomes the platform to reopen all of our communities safely and equitably, including those most impacted by COVID-19.
New Team Members
Jennifer Swanson Prince – Advisor
Jennifer Swanson Prince is a communications and development leader with more than twenty years of experience in politics and public affairs. She has served as the national finance director on presidential and statewide campaigns and has worked with political leaders, government officials, and government institutions at every level. Jennifer founded her own consulting firm and has been a strategic advisor to a diverse set of organizations including Pivotal Investments, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the DC Public Library. She has designed marketing campaigns for nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and political campaigns. And she has been a Senior Advisor to the Glover Park Group (now Finsbury Glover Hering), leading corporate client teams and engagements with organizations seeking to to drive their success and recognition. She received her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, has an M.A. from George Washington University, and lives with her family on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
Jiun Kimm – Advisor
Jiun currently serves as Quartet Health’s first Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and brings over a decade of experience working in DEI across education, philanthropy, tech and ventures, beginning her career as a 2nd grade teacher in Harlem with Teach For America. Most recently, Jiun served as the first Global Head of DEI at Samsung Next, where she grew representation within the company and led strategy to invest in underrepresented founders around the world. Jiun has a BA in Economics from Wesleyan University and a MS in Education from Hunter College through Teach For America.
Sharon Knight – Advisor
Sharon is healthcare startup executive, board member and investor with deep experience in finance, planning and operations. After leading diverse functions and multinational teams at companies such as KFC, Gap, and Electronic Arts, she entered the startup world, joining One Medical Group, an innovative primary care provider, in 2012 as President, overseeing its growth from 4 offices in San Francisco to 15 offices across the US. Most recently, Sharon was President and COO of Hawthorne Effect, which is transforming how clinical trials are conducted. She is currently serving as Executive Director of Stop the Spread, a COVID-19 response nonprofit that was founded to catalyze the private sector to fill critical gaps in our nation’s response to the pandemic. Sharon is also the founder of Avik Ventures through which she has made 14 angel investments and advised more than 30 companies.
