Wave Connect August 2025 Update: Badge Scanner, Offline QR & More

August was one of the biggest months in Wave Connect's history. We crossed 100,000 users globally, doubled our team, and shipped features that I'm genuinely excited about - from an AI-powered badge scanner to offline QR codes that work without WiFi.

In this update, I'll walk you through every major release: new features, new integrations, enterprise improvements, and what it all means for your team's networking and lead capture. Let's get into it.

Wave Connect Crosses 100,000 Users

Wave Connect hit a major milestone this year - 100,000 users worldwide. The United States is still our largest market, but we're seeing strong growth in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. It's been incredible to watch the adoption curve steepen over the past 12 months.

On top of that, we officially launched in several new regions this year: Germany, Brazil, France, Mexico, and Italy. These expansions matter because more international enterprises are looking for a digital business card solution that works across offices worldwide. By building presence in these markets, we're setting Wave up as the standard networking tool for global teams.

Hiring and Team Growth

We doubled our employee count this year. The biggest additions were in Sales, Operations, Customer Success, and Software Development. That's not just a number - it directly impacts what we can deliver.

More sales and customer success staff means better onboarding for new enterprise clients. More developers means faster feature releases and more integrations (you'll see the results of that below). And operational hires ensure we can handle logistics like printing NFC cards and supporting large enterprise rollouts without delays.

This kind of hiring push signals where we're headed. We're not maintaining - we're scaling. And I want every customer to feel that through faster support, faster features, and a more reliable product.

New Features: Live Activities and Offline QR Codes

Two of the most exciting product launches this summer were Live Activities for iPhone and Offline QR Codes. Both solve real problems I've heard from users at conferences and trade shows.

Live Activities for iPhone

Live Activities gives iPhone users a faster way to share contact info and manage networking on the go. Instead of opening an app, you can now access your QR code directly from your lock screen. You can also take notes about the person you just met, add tags, and create follow-up reminders - all without leaving the lock screen experience.

This essentially turns your phone into a real-time networking assistant. I've been using it at events myself, and the speed difference is noticeable. No fumbling through apps, no searching for your card - it's just there.

Offline QR Codes

Offline QR codes solve a very common problem: bad WiFi at events. If you've ever been at a conference where the network crashes, you know the frustration. With offline QR codes, you can still share your details instantly. Once the recipient gets back online, your card automatically loads with all your information.

It's the kind of detail that shows Wave is built for real-world networking situations - not just ideal conditions. No WiFi? No problem.

Branding Tools for Teams

For larger organizations, brand consistency is everything. This month we rolled out new branding tools designed specifically for teams and enterprises:

• Custom domains for company-wide use
• Branded QR codes with logos and color schemes
• Branded footers on digital card landing pages

These features give companies more control over how their employees are represented. Instead of having thousands of slightly different profiles, teams can now standardize branding while still allowing individuals to personalize their cards with their own details, photos, and links.

This is especially useful for industries like consulting, insurance, and automotive groups - anywhere first impressions matter. When every card from your organization looks polished and on-brand, it builds trust before the first conversation even starts.

Six New Integrations

Wave Connect has always focused on integrating with the tools businesses already use. In August, we added six new integrations to the platform:

• Pipedrive
• GoHighLevel
• Workday
• BambooHR
• Google Contacts
• UKG

These join our existing integrations with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zapier. The new additions mean that sales teams, HR departments, and enterprise IT staff can sync contacts and leads directly into the systems they already rely on.

The practical impact is huge: it saves time, reduces errors from manual entry, and ensures no leads slip through the cracks after an event. If your team is using Pipedrive or GoHighLevel for pipeline management, every new contact you capture with Wave flows straight into your CRM automatically.

Enterprise Performance Improvements

One of the challenges for any SaaS platform is scaling to meet enterprise demands. We've been investing heavily in infrastructure this year to ensure Wave can handle tens of thousands of employees on a single dashboard without slowdowns.

The August improvements include faster responsiveness, more stability, and smoother onboarding experiences. Enterprise admins can now deploy cards the same day, even across large organizations with multiple offices and departments.

For end users, the improvements mean a more reliable experience across both the app and web platform. Fewer loading delays, faster profile updates, and snappier analytics dashboards. The kind of stuff you don't notice when it works - but definitely notice when it doesn't.

AI-Powered Badge Scanner

This is one of the biggest highlights of the August update. At large events and conferences, scanning hundreds of badges can be painful. Wave's new AI badge scanner uses artificial intelligence to pull data from badges, enrich it instantly, and add it straight to your CRM.

Here's what the scanner captures from a single badge photo:

• Phone number
• Email address
• LinkedIn profile
• Website
• Company name
• Job title

Instead of manually typing in details or uploading CSVs after an event, sales teams can walk out of a conference with enriched, organized contacts ready for follow-up. I've watched teams save hours of manual data entry with this feature alone - and faster follow-up means more deals closed while the conversation is still fresh.

Paper Card OCR Improvements

Even in 2025, paper business cards are still around. That's why we continue to improve our OCR (optical character recognition) scanner for physical cards.

The scanner is now powered by OpenAI, making it faster and more accurate than ever. It can recognize details on cards even from blurry photos or unusual designs. For professionals who still collect paper cards at networking events, this update ensures those contacts don't get lost or forgotten in a jacket pocket.

Looking Ahead

August was packed, but we're not slowing down. Here's a quick summary of what this update represents:

• Global expansion - 100,000+ users and growing across new markets
• Enterprise readiness - Faster infrastructure, better branding tools, same-day deployments
• Smarter networking - Live Activities, offline QR codes, and AI badge scanning
• Deeper integrations - Six new CRM and HR platform connections

With SOC 2 Type 2 certification, Wave Connect also guarantees enterprise-grade security. And with recognition from G2 as one of the easiest-to-use digital business cards with the simplest admin portal and fastest onboarding, we've built clear separation from the competition.

The future of networking is digital, and we're staying ahead of the curve. See what we shipped next in the September 2025 update, including self-onboarding and custom font uploads. Or if you want to see everything in action, check out our full Wave Connect review or get started below.