Blockchain and loyalty innovators combine to form Kigo, a digital asset company leading a new era of Open Loyalty™
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ST. PAUL, Minn., 23 May 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Augeoa global leader in loyalty and engagement technologies, today announced the formation of Kigo. Kigo combines HeapsAugeos crypto loyalty subsidiary, and Thread, an innovative NFT engagement platform. The two ventures have collectively traveled 16 million dollars in financing, included 6.5 million dollars in new commitments from Valor Siren Ventures and Augeo to accelerate the launch of Kigo.
Blockchain and loyalty innovators combine to form Kigo – the digital asset company pioneering a new era of Open Loyalty™ as major brands seek to shape new experiences and embrace digital assets. Backed by Augeo’s decades of loyalty experience serving hundreds of brands and millions of users, Kigo provides the platform and expertise to deliver open loyalty to the world.
As major brands seek to shape new experiences and embrace digital assets, Kigo ushers in a new era of Open Loyalty™ defined by sharable experiences, digital assets and cross-brand collaboration. Backed by Augeo’s decades of loyalty experience serving hundreds of brands and millions of users, Kigo provides the platform and expertise to deliver open loyalty to the world.
“The enormous promise of digital assets unlocks new possible customer connections and community experiences,” said David Crystal, founder and CEO of Augeo and CEO of Kigo. “Kigo’s Open Loyalty platform delivers impactful and lasting moments for people to interact with the brands they love. This is essential for the future of loyalty engagement.”
Working with Kigo, organizations can create, deploy and manage blockchain-enabled customer, employee and member experiences – from dynamic digital brands that reinforce milestones to shareable rewards, personalized digital memberships and cross-brand collaboration at scale. Brands can also integrate an expansive digital rewards marketplace, where people can redeem loyalty rewards for hyper-relevant digital collectibles, memorabilia, access cards and more, in addition to leading cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.
“The key to unlocking new value for people and brands lies in making experiences so intuitive that you don’t even realize you’re interacting with the blockchain,” said Peter Schultz, CEO of Kigo and former Heap’s manager. “Kigo aims to bring the benefits of blockchain to people in the most meaningful and rewarding ways yet.”
“Brands are increasingly asking for digital assets in response to growing demand from their customers, members and employees,” said Ben Straley, president and co-founder of Kigo and former CEO of Thred. “Kigo will seamlessly unlock consumer loyalty and elevate engagement by harnessing the power of digital assets and blockchain technology.”
“The combination of Heaps and Thred positions Kigo as the leader in digital asset loyalty. Kigo’s innovative solutions are unique in the space and we are grateful to support the team as we continue our long-standing relationship with the Augeo team,” said Jon ShulkinFund manager at Valor Siren Ventures and Co-President at Valor Equity Partners.
About Kigo
Kigo’s platform enables businesses to engage people through new forms of rewards, memberships and recognition enabled by blockchain. Kigo was founded in 2023 by Augeo, a global leader in engagement technology, and former Starbucks, Amazon and Thred executives Ben Straley.
For more information, visit https://kigo.io.
Media contact
Kristi Essick
[email protected]
415.407.8714
About Augeo
Augeo is a global leader in enterprise engagement and loyalty technologies that drive transformational experiences and foster meaningful connections for employees, channel partners, consumers, subscribers and members across industries. We raise commitment and strengthen relationships for our customers through our workplace commitment, experience-based marketing, customer loyalty and crypto loyalty solutions. With more than 45 years of experience, Augeo serves hundreds of customers, including dozens of Fortune 500 companies, representing millions worldwide using our proprietary platform technology. Our mission is to inspire people to achieve more – one interaction, transaction and experience at a time.
For more information, visit www.augeomarketing.com.
Media contact
Michael WalshAPR, ABC, MBC
MichaelWalshCommunications.com
612.718.8952
About Valor Siren Ventures
Valor Siren Ventures’ (VSV) mission is to be the leading innovation engine and early stage investor in food, food technology, retail, retail technology and sustainability investments. With roots in Valor’s history in food and retail technology, Valor believes there is an opportunity to develop a new model for venture investment with VSV. Our team strives to create value by generating differentiated investment opportunities, leveraging our intellectual capital and accelerating the growth of portfolio companies through operational assistance in scaling.
For more information, visit www.valorep.com/valor-siren-ventures-vsv.
SOURCE Augeo
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