Estonian Development Fund And Others Invest €1.5 Million In NOW! Innovations
There is indeed a very bright future for anything mobile. As our smartphones get smarter and more powerful, companies are more inclined to give more preference on what level of mobility they can add and help simplify the task for consumers. And its not just about bringing in your email, documents, location, etcetera to your device only, rather a stew of every service that exists, collaboration of each feature within a mobile to bring a more refined product which is in demand. And in demand means investors are on the lookout to make investments that ensures them the ROI.
Estonian NOW! Innovations Introduces Mobile Parking Payment in the US
Estonian startup NOW! Innovations, founded in 2003, will reportedly start cooperating with a US startup StreetSmart Technology. StreetSmart Technology will offer its customers an integrated total solution for automatic mobile parking service system.
The service includes automatic managing of parking lots and mobile payment option for the end-users. The parking spaces are being monitored automatically by sensors under the paving. The parking meter will know whether the space has been paid for or not. Should there be any violations, the parking lot manager will be automatically notified. NOW! Innovations provides the platform for the provisioning of mobile digital tickets.
The service is planned to launch on Monday October 20th in the city of Decatur near Atlanta, Georgia. The payment method will be based on automatic voice service instead of SMS. As Arho Anttila, the Managing Director of NOW! Innovations argues, for the average American to use SMS for parking would be "psychologicaly unacceptable and difficult.”
NOW! Innovations has targeted the US (esp. New York and New Jersey) and Latin America (Ecuador and Brazil) for some time, but this new initiative will be the firm's main bridgehead in the US. The company has previously been involved in launching mobile parking payment systems in Belgium, Estonia, and Slovenia. The company also offers mobile ticketing systems for public transport, and different metering and monitoring solutions.
Half of NOW! Innovations is owned by Helmes, the largest software development company in Estonia, that is supporting the firm's strong international growth.
[Via Toivo Tänavsuu's TigerPrises.com]
