SAVR was a winner in the 2020 Startup Pitch Competition. Here’s what happened afterward

Rob Wile
·1 min read

It’s time once again for the annual Miami Herald Startup Pitch Competition. Entries are due March 2.

Here’s an update on SAVR, last year’s Community Track winner in the tourism vertical. (Note: This year there are no verticals, only a single Community Track.)

SAVR, an app for shopping districts, tourist destinations and parks used to make locations “come alive” through gamification. Krystal Zheng is the founder.

MIAMI HERALD: How did your business change over the past year?

KRYSTAL ZHENG: SAVR received many interested leads and business inquiries after the winning of Miami Herald Pitch competition. However with COVID-19, many of the progress and outcomes are still in development.

MH: What impact did the COVID-19 pandemic have on your business?

KZ: As a location-based engagement platform, we are impacted negatively with COVID, as our clients are the struggling industries during this pandemic. However, COVID also shined light on certain opportunities, such as SAVR being the contactless engagement channel for destinations that no longer provide in-person guided experiences. Also, THE SAVR platform is already accessed through a QR code display. Pre-COVID, only a small amount of population knew how to scan QR code with their camera. Now mostly everyone and any age group knows how to access an online platform via QR code.