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Tap Into Success: The Jason Alvarez-Cohen Story
Discover How a Young Innovator Transformed Networking with Popl's Cutting Edge Technology
HAPPY Questions
March 18, 2024
Good afternoon HAPPY Trailblazers,
Have you ever wondered how a young tech entrepreneur revolutionized the traditional business card using a small NFC tag? Discover the fascinating journey of Jason Alvarez-Cohen, the co-founder of Popl.
Early Life
Jason Alvarez-Cohen was born in Berkeley, California on May 31, 1996. Jason’s parents are successful engineers and work closely with UC Berkeley. Jason’s mom, Lisa, is the Vice Provost of Academic Planning at UC Berkeley, and his father, Mike, helped pioneer the SkyDeck startup accelerator and the Berkeley Startup Cluster. Jason has one younger brother, Ryan, who is also an engineer.
Known For: Popl |
Net Worth: Jason’s net worth is unknown. Popl is projected to do $15 million in 2024. |
Early Career
Jason attended UCLA and graduated in 2018 with a computer science degree. After graduation, he briefly worked for Boeing, but the repetitive nature of the job left him feeling stagnant, so he left. While trying to figure out his next move, Jason recognized his potential to create impactful software. This realization led him to experiment with side projects, combining his technical skills with a deep curiosity about the world. In 2019, a chance encounter with an NFC (near field communication) device at a party in the Hollywood Hills became the spark that would lead to the creation of Popl.
What is Popl?
Popl is a platform that enables people to share their digital information with just a tap of their phone. Popl uses NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to transfer information between devices. This information can include contact information, social media profiles, music playlists, payment apps, and more.
Taking Shape
Jason and his co-founder, Nick Eischens, started working on a prototype. Jason and Nick met at UCLA, while Nick was learning how much he enjoyed becoming an entrepreneur. At UCLA, Nick was a tour guide, brand ambassador, and self-proclaimed, “UCLA’s favorite DJ.”
After completing the prototype, Jason and Nick decided to form a company and make the technology available on a larger scale. So, Jason and Nick formed Rippl (original name) in November 2019, with two products. One blue. One red. They drafted mockups in Photoshop, posted an ad on Instagram, and launched their site, ready for sales. Those sales never came.
Keep it simple when it comes to design. When Nick and I just started in late 2019 as Rippl, our first two colors were blue and red. Little did we know that a simple black and white are what the people want! To this day, Popl Black continues to be the best seller by miles.
Fast forward to February 2020, Jason and Nick launched Popl, with the help of a viral Tiktok video (80M+ views). By then, they had rebranded their original idea to a simple white and black logo and patented the first-ever digital business card phone tag. From there, they got accepted into the Winter 2021 batch of Y Combinator and raised a $2.2 million seed round shortly after graduation.
Driving Growth
Popl has driven growth through innovative technology, strategic marketing, and adapting to changing business environments. Popl resonated with younger generations and professionals in the height of COVID-19 with their contactless technology. With the ability to switch between personal and professional profiles, the launch of Popl Teams, and constant innovation, Popl looks to stay for the long haul.
Today
Today, Popl has 70 employees, over one million global professionals and teams on its platform, one hundred million digital business card interactions, and a 4.9/5 star rating. Popl is projected to do $15 million in sales this year.
Stay bold, stay brilliant!
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