Today in the Connected Economy: Parkopedia Taps Amazon to Help People Park

Today in the connected economy, connected vehicle platform Parkopedia has rolled out an offering from Amazon’s Alexa to help drivers receive voice-enabled parking assistance.

Also, Salesforce enters the world of NFTs, and financial communications firm Eltropy, which specializes in credit unions acquires video banking relationship startup POPi/o.

Parkopedia Debuts Voice-Enabled Parking Assistance Through Amazon Alexa

Connected vehicle services firm Parkopedia has launched a new Amazon Alexa skill to help travelers access voice-enabled parking assistance.

The new service from will let drivers find and pay for parking, either from home or on the go, using the Amazon cloud-based voice service to access the Parkopedia database, which offers users with the closest parking space to a selected address.

“When behind the wheel, one voice command can replace several manual actions, vastly improving safety and efficiency,” said Eugene Tsyrklevich, founder and CEO of Parkopedia. “The latest generation of voice assistants now also utilize AI to learn and think — understanding a variety of accents and gaining the ability to action more than one command at a time, as well as analyzing user data to learn individual preferences.”

Salesforce Boards NFT Train With Brand Cloud Service

Customer relations software company Salesforce has unveiled a cloud-based service for the sale and creation of NFTs, even as sales decline for the digital tokens.

The company says its service is geared toward consumer brands that want to sell nonfungible tokens. But rather than selling them for their trading or artistic value, the idea is to create NFTs that have a function, such as providing admission to events.

“The art should look great. But that’s not really the point,” said Adam Caplan, who oversees emerging technology at Salesforce.

Startup Rauva Developing ‘Super App’ for Europe’s Mediterranean Region

A pair of entrepreneurs are working to launch the financial “super app” Rauva in Europe’s Mediterranean region, providing an integrated solution that’s compatible across countries.

Canadian entrepreneur Sam Mizrahi and FinTech executive Jon Fath say they are developing Rauva to offer an automated solution for the banking and financial community that meets their needs. They aim to launch next year in Spain and Portugal.

“We believe that business owners spend too much time focusing on their finances rather than on the job they are passionate about,” said Fath, Rauva co-founder and CEO. “We want to take the stress out of their daily financial management in a way that has never been done before — by delivering a super app that is tailored to their local needs.”

Eltropy Buys POPi/o to Provide Digital Communications to 400+ Credit Unions

Financial communications firm Eltropy, which specializes in credit unions (CUs) has purchased video banking relationship startup POPi/o for an undisclosed sum.

The company says the acquisition supports Eltropy’s digital communications platform and will provide solutions to more than 400 CUs to help meet members’ in-person and online needs.

With POPi/o’s video banking and contact center technology, Eltropy can provide CUs with a  single platform that comes with automated text messaging powered by artificial intelligence (AI) along with video banking and secure chat and a host of other services.

Trusted Virtual Brands Boost All-Hours Spending for Restaurants

The virtual brand model has taken over the restaurant industry, with eateries adding new, delivery-only concepts to drive revenue on digital ordering channels.

Alex Canter, CEO of virtual restaurant company Nextbite, told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster in a recent interview that one way restaurants can employ the model is to offer items aimed at diners’ off-hour spending, thus increasing sales at would-be slow times.

“With IHOP, for example, they’re 24/7 at the majority of their locations, but they’re really busier in the mornings than they are at night,” he said. “So we’ve designed two concepts for them: a grilled cheese concept and a quesadilla brand that is performing exceptionally well from 9 p.m. to 5 in the morning.”