Ziptip to Exhibit at MIT Enterprise Forum

Boston, MA (USA) – 7 April 2012 – Ziptip, Inc., a mobile payments application designed specifically for the payment of tips and gratuities for service workers, announces its selection to exhibit at the upcoming MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge 3rd Annual In-NOW-vation, Tech Showcase & Celebration, to be hosted at Microsoft’s New England Research & Development Center (NERD), One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142 on April 26, 6-8:30 p.m. Guests will be voting for their favorite demos with results posted in real-time. Event URL is www.mitforumcambridge.org/events/save-the-date-for-the-2012-in-now-vation-tech-showcase-celebration. Everyone is welcome.

Ziptip, Inc. was organized in 2011 to solve the many problems of both paying and receiving tips and gratuities. A Tipper’s ability to tip is limited by cash on hand, awkwardness and social custom. With cash usage in decline, Tippers are increasingly frustrated. Tips paid by credit card also are problematic. And employers now are recognizing they have legal and financial exposure when tips belonging to their employees are mis-processed (see recent Batali employee lawsuit and Starbucks employee lawsuits). The legal and regulatory framework employers must follow regarding tipping is increasingly complex. Employers became involved in tipping by default when credit card tipping was introduced. This introduction of credit card tipping was an innovation that introduced many problems for employers and employees alike.

Ziptip simplifies the employer role vis a vis employee tips by enabling tips to be paid directly to employee service providers, bypassing the employer. Tippers transact tips instantly just by scanning (with their phones) a Tippee’s business card, T-shirt, workstation or other product displaying a Tippee’s unique Medallion image, including one posted online, using the free Ziptip apps for iPhone and Android. Tippees customize their unique Medallion image at Ziptip.net, then order biz cards or whatever product on which they wish to display their Medallion image. The Ziptip service encourages only the good kind of tipping (“a gift meant to say ‘thank you’”). As such, it delivers not only control over tips to tippees, more tips (in some channels) to tippees, but also social benefits. “While all types of service workers benefit from using Ziptip, in particular hotel workers (especially housekeeping staff), café workers, coffee baristas and some restaurant workers stand to benefit dramatically,” says Ziptip’s President Lois Hamblet.

Ziptip users link to their PayPal accounts, one of the largest and most trusted 3rd party payment processors. Tippers and Tippees do not exchange any personal information, making Ziptip completely confidential, just like cash. Ziptip’s patent was filed in early March 2011, shortly after proof of concept. The Ziptip service is available in over 20 countries.

Ziptip has been awarded five accolades including Best Use of the Sencha Touch App Framework and Best Use Case/Best Market Potential (HP Cross Platform Challenge Award) at WIP Connector’s Muther! of all Hackathons + DevCon and Best App, Silver Medal (Investors’ Choice Award) and Best Use of the PayPal API (Sponsor’s Choice Award).

Media Contact:
Lois@Ziptip.net
Ziptip, Inc.
Lois Hamblet
401-207-9134
ziptip.net