I recall recording a podcast with Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness and Launch Fishers Founder John Wechsler. John was leaving his post running Launch and was about to take on a new challenge he could not announce at that time. I later discovered Wechsler’s new endeavor was and is a business named Spokenote.
The way John explained it to me, his new business would place QR Codes on products allowing the customer to access a video. The example John gave me was a flower shop delivering a floral arrangement. The person sending the flowers could add a video message with a QR Code on the card.
Wechsler’s latest innovative project has just landed a partnership with the NBA and the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers will feature Spokenote QR Codes on player jerseys.
Below is the news release issued by the NBA Wednesday:
The Indiana Pacers and Fishers-based Spokenote announced today a first-of-its-kind partnership that makes the local technology startup the team’s official jersey patch partner. The partnership breaks new ground in professional sports, as the Pacers become the first major professional franchise in the United States to sport a QR code-like jersey patch.
The Spokenote code on the front left shoulder of the Pacers’ regular season and postseason jerseys unlocks special Pacers content for fans, including content not previously seen elsewhere. The Pacers will debut the jerseys featuring the new patch tonight at home versus the Milwaukee Bucks.
“We are thrilled to have Spokenote as our jersey patch partner, and their innovative product will allow us to engage our fans in many new and different ways,” said Todd Taylor, President and Chief Commercial Officer for Pacers Sports & Entertainment. “We are extremely proud to assist a local startup on its journey to becoming a widely known consumer brand.”
The partnership also brings together the Pacers iconic brand with one of Indiana’s most exciting tech startups and one of its most recognized local entrepreneurs. Spokenote CEO and founder John Wechsler, a longtime entrepreneur and businessman who most recently founded Launch Fishers, the entrepreneurial accelerator home to dozens of tech startups, has been instrumental in helping turn Indiana into one of the Midwest’s fastest-growing technology hubs.
“Spokenote is thrilled to join the Pacers, one of basketball’s hottest and most exciting young teams, as their new jersey patch partner, and we look forward to working alongside them to identify new ways to engage fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and beyond,” said Wechsler.
Spokenote technology allows users to pair videos with a unique Spokenote code. This QR codeplus enables individuals to connect their digital memories and messages to a physical Spokenote sticker with its own unique digital landing page. Consumers nationwide have used Spokenote stickers to enhance thank you notes, greeting cards, home deliveries, and other personal interactions. Spokenote technology that has also been used by a wide range of organizations to engage their stakeholders and customers.