NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Jun 2, 2016) - Vengo Labs, makers of compact, wall-mounted digital vending machines, announced today its partnership with The Blackstone Charitable Foundation's entrepreneurship-focused experiential campus program, Blackstone LaunchPad, to introduce Vengo kiosks to some of the largest Universities in the United States.
Vengo Labs builds digital kiosks that serve both consumer packaged goods and advertisements, marrying the convenient and enjoyable experience of online shopping with engaging multimedia content about products within the unit. By late summer, Blackstone LaunchPad locations including New York University, Syracuse University, University of Southern California, and University of Central Florida, will install Vengo machines for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. These kiosks will feature products from other Blackstone LaunchPad alumni, and will circulate Blackstone LaunchPad-specific content on the digital screens.
"It's been wonderful to see the rapid growth of Vengo Labs, a Blackstone LaunchPad venture, and we're excited to leverage our global network to accelerate its growth, while also providing additional value to our other student entrepreneurs," says Amy Stursberg, Executive Director, Blackstone Charitable Foundation. "The campuses that will be exposed to Vengo will serve as a testing ground for future product expansion across campuses in the U.S. and beyond."
Blackstone LaunchPad will use Vengo as a distribution vehicle for products made by other student ventures in the Blackstone LaunchPad network. The custom-wrapped Blackstone LaunchPad-branded Vengo will feature news and highlights from the across the network. Through Vengo's units, the Blackstone LaunchPad team and any companies with featured products will be able to receive real-time feedback on sales data, location-specific insights, as well as on-screen engagement with interactive advertising content. Through this feedback, Blackstone LaunchPad's student organizations can rapid-test product messaging and assortment.
"I love the idea of giving back to Blackstone LaunchPad, the entrepreneurship program that helped us grow," says Brian Shimmerlik, CEO, Vengo Labs. "With the real-time analytics we can provide services from simply monitoring customers' gestures and purchase behaviors to sharing a ton of learnings with other Blackstone LaunchPad members to help them know what's working."
To mark the launch of this partnership, Shimmerlik will be speaking at Blackstone LaunchPad's Texas expansion announcement event at The University of Texas at Dallas on June 2nd alongside Blackstone Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder Stephen Schwarzman and United States Senator John Cornyn. There will be ribbon-cutting ceremonies to celebrate the opening of Blackstone LaunchPad programs at The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at Dallas and Texas A&M University in the coming months.
Vengo Labs recently received a $2 million deal on ABC's Shark Tank from investors Kevin O'Leary and Lori Greiner. Prior to the show, co-founders Brian Shimmerlik and Steven Bofill raised $5 million during their seed and Series A funding rounds. Come end of 2016, consumers can expect to see 1,000 Vengos across 15 U.S. cities, with locations across four continents.
More information on www.vengolabs.com.
About Vengo Labs
Vengo Labs, founded by Brian Shimmerlik and Steven Bofill, is a digital kiosk that serves both consumer packaged goods and advertisements. Vengo brings vending machines out of the basement with an immersive, digital experience that addresses the consumer's need for convenience, choice and a compelling experience. Vengo Labs creates a flexible on-demand advertising network that provides real-time learnings as customers interact with individual units, allowing for on-the-spot messaging and campaign changes based on insights.
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