The founders of HateYouCards.com – yes, you read it right – say playful abuse and laziness are two cultural identifiers that Aussies hold dear. You could add profanity, perhaps the art of sledging, and a generous dose of sarcasm, too. All contribute mightily in defining the Aussie character.
But would even an Aussie go as far as sending out nasty custom-written and designed cards to “friends?”
David Boulton, Andy Longworth and Jethro Batts are betting they will not only use it in plenty but also pay up $2.99 per card to do so. The idea won instant recognition at the Sydney AngelHack event last month, sending the three out to Silicon Valley for a 10-week accelerator program and top-notch mentoring. AngelHack picks up a 2% stake in the venture in exchange for the support.
Love, hate and humour
“We abuse and insult our close friends and family because it’s the Australian way of showing affection,” said Batts, who already is involved in two other startups, Park My Van and VegetarianBody.com. “Who honestly goes all the way to the newsagent, buys one of those light pink cards which says, ‘Gee you’re just a tops best friend,’ and gifts it without any sarcasm? Nobody, that’s who.”
Instead, HateYouCards would have us believe cards should be like these: “Just a friendly reminder…you are a jerk.” Or, “You are like Mondays. Nobody likes you.”
As might be expected, HateYouCards began as a joke among the three. But they were dead serious about it. And, guess what, 27 hours later, many other hard-nosed guys were, too. The idea won the Sydney hackathon, and began to be counted as a serious enterprise with a real future.
1,000 free cards going out soon
HateYouCards will help users send personalised “cheeky (and somewhat abusive)” postcards to mates anywhere in the world via its website and app. For $2.99 per card more, the startup will print and mail out one, too. Users can simply choose a choice insult ready and written, and pick a suitable photo to create a postcard, or write their own and add their own photos. It plans to offer native apps on IOS, Android, Windows and Blackberry devices. Users will have unlimited access to the online versions of the cards they send and receive.
HateYouCards plans a launch in the second half of July when it will also hand out 1,000 free cards to the earliest users.
A new venture that won instant approval at the Sydney AngelHack believes playful abuse, profanity and humour are cultural identifiers that mark out the Aussie.
