For the First Time, Users Can Accumulate Rewards for Surfing, Searching and Shopping OnlineTop Search Partners, Built on Chromium, and Boasts Over 2,000 Participating Merchants at Launch
AUSTIN, Texas — Today, the web is transformed with the launch of Perk, the world’s first web browser that rewards users for surfing, searching, and shopping online. Perk launches with over 2,000 top merchant partners including 1800 Flowers, BestBuy.com, Urban Outfitters, drugstore.com and many more top brands. Perk was conceived and developed by Jutera Labs, an Austin, Texas-based technology incubator focused on developing new digital media, retail and advertising platforms and services. Perk is powered with top tier search capabilities and is built on the open source project, Chromium, the technology behind Google Chrome.
Web surfers can now earn “Perk Points” when they use their browser as they normally would to surf, search and shop. Perk Points can then be redeemed for actual products and services. Rewards include gift cards, airline miles, social gaming currency, and much more. Users can also donate their Perk Points to some of their favorite causes including American Cancer Society, Autism Speaks, ASPCA, and more. To learn more about the great products, services and donations that you can make using Perk Points, please visit the Perk rewards store here.
“Our vision for Perk is to build a version of the Web where users are rewarded for their attention,” said Roj Niyogi, Founder and CEO of Perk. “In a world where users are inundated with advertising that many times offers little-to-no-value, Perk aims to build a Web experience centered around giving users tangible value – in the form of Perk Points – that they can redeem for goods, services and causes, in exchange for doing what they already do on the Web.”
“We are extremely excited to partner with Perk, which is one of most clever products we’ve seen in a while,” said Sarah Crosby, Product Business Development Manager, West Coast, Commission Junction. “The Perk browser seamlessly connects brand advertisers with consumers precisely when it is of the most value to both.”
Perk inherently changes the dynamic between the advertiser and the consumer in today’s Web-based world. Currently, advertisers provide little value to the user and are seen as an annoyance. Now, Perk has built a new kind of exchange in which the user is rewarded for their attention and brand loyalty.
“Perk aims to fundamentally change users’ digital experience by building a version of the Web based entirely on ‘what’s in it for me,’” said Adam Salamon, Founder and COO of Perk. “This is far more than a standard Web browser matched with a loyalty program. We are creating a technology and platform that will help influence online decision-making during every layer of the advertising and shopping funnel.”
The Perk browser is now available for download here (www.perk.com) on both Mac and Windows.
About Perk
Perk is the world’s first Web browser – available on Mac and Windows – that rewards users with “Perk Points” that can be redeemed for product, services and causes, by simply surfing, searching and shopping on the Web. Perk is built on the Chromium open source project and includes over 2,000 merchant partners including 1800 Flowers, BestBuy.com, Urban Outfitters, drugstore.com and many more.
Perk.com is backed by Insight Capital, has its headquarters in Austin, TX with offices in Bangalore, India.
About Jutera Labs
Jutera Labs is an Austin, Texas-based technology incubator that operates using the principles of keiretsu, where interlocking business relationships and shareholdings merge to form a shared ecosystem for conceiving, developing, launching and scaling companies. Jutera Labs’ companies focus on the fields of digital media, retail and advertising. The company has offices in both Austin, Texas and Bangalore, India.
Jutera Labs was founded in 2010 by ex-Social Media.com and Bazaarvoice (BV) executives Roj Niyogi and Adam Salamon, who have parlayed their experience with running startups in social, deals / loyalty, online and multichannel retailing into an incubator for emerging companies. Jutera Labs completed a Series A round in September of 2011. Its main investor is Walnut Creek, California-based Insight Capital, as well as undisclosed business angels.
