Featured Startup Pitch: Bawte’s app-based product concierge service may make customer service headaches a thing of the past

By John Jackovin, Bawte founder and CEO

Elevator Pitch: Bawte is support you’ll love for the things you own.

Product/Service Description

At Bawte, we believe owning things should be simple. We believe that you should be able to go to one place and one place only to find out anything you need about the things you own.

Whenever you need it, just hit the help icon on a product you have tagged and tell us what the problem is no matter what product or brand you are dealing with. We will make the necessary contacts with the brand to figure out what needs to happen. We then give you a very simple, yet thorough, plan on how to handle it. We take all that calling and emailing off your plate. Also get instant-access instructions and videos. Be notified before warranties expire and as product you own gets recalled—all making it simple to own everything in-and-around your house.

Problem Solved

Even companies with awesome online and customer support run into an issue when their consumers have a problem. And that issue is a steep learning curve.

How many times in your life (as a customer of a particular brand) are you going to need support? Once? Twice? Any more than that and you may not be a customer for long. Because of that, every consumer has to begin at square one when they have a question, issue, or a big ole problem. Now insert Bawte into the equation.

Brand + Bawte = Happy Customers

We deliver the best support experience in one handy location for all of the things you own.

Founder’s Story

I have been creating tech startups since 2000 when an opportunity presented itself. So I bought a book, taught myself to code and launched my first company. Over the years, my business partner Tom Love and I have developed many other businesses, the latest being Bawte. Bawte is product support you’ll love for all the things that you own.

Marketing/Promotion Strategy

We are focused on consumer education around the rights obtained by simply buying a product, including but not limited to warranty, registration, and recalls. We are also working with major brands to leverage their communication channels. We will then focus on retailers (online and brick-and-mortar) to make the tagging process easier for consumers. Finally, working with an awesome PR firm doesn’t hurt.

Market Opportunity

Slice and Boxella do some similar things in our space, but we tackle a very big problem for consumers that no one has attempted to tackle.

How We Differentiate From the Competition

We offer a complete post-purchase experience. Others only hit on a few. What really differentiates us is the Bawte Service Team. Technology can be copied, but it won’t be easy to copy the level of customer service we provide. Whenever you run into an issue, just hit the help icon in the app to connect with Bawte’s human support team. Your own personal product concierge will come to the rescue with a very simple, yet thorough, plan on how to handle your issue. Bawte connects with brands directly to figure out what needs to happen and takes all that calling, emailing and waiting on hold off your plate.

Business Model

Brand, retail and service provider ad revenue. Connecting brands to consumers (those who make it and those that buy it). Parts, accessories and end-of-life purchases for the things you own.

Current Needs

We are evaluating taking money in the near future but are not publicly raising a round just yet.

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Headquarters: Des Moines, Iowa