Zapa Technology gets €2.5m backing from Irish venture firm Delta Partners

According to a statement from Zapa, the company is the first in Europe to deploy NFC technology in a scaled environment via the ZapaTag.

NFC is a new technology and will be available on all new mobile handsets over the coming years. It estimated that all mobile phones sold within the next three years will be NFC compliant. Zapa intends to bridge this deployment gap with the introduction of the ZapaTag and deploying contactless readers at the point of sale.

ZapaTag is initially intended for use in customer loyalty schemes. It works by fixing the ZapaTag to the mobile phone handset, which the customer taps at the retailer’s cash register to receive loyalty points. The technology also has the potential for more applications, such as redeeming loyalty rewards and payment facilities. The ZapaTag also delivers customer profile information back to the retailer.

Maurice Roche, general partner with Delta Partners, who will join the board of Zapa, said, “We are delighted to be backing Zapa which is at the forefront of NFC applications.  This funding will help Zapa roll-out a number of unique applications from customer loyalty schemes to NFC payments and help them secure a leadership position in this market”

Delta Partners focuses on investing in technology-based businesses in Europe. To date, Delta Partners has invested in over 60 technology companies, either at start-up or early development phase.  

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