Like a combination Tango, Skype and Facebook and Chatroulette (or a Chatroulette for Facetime), Karizma is a location based video chat messenger that banks on the theory that people want to video chat with people who are geographically close to them. Karizma allows you to call people who are in your proximity, not just your current contacts.
Users can turn on Karizma and get connected to other Karizma users who are in their near vicinity based on age, friends in common, language and interests, whether they are on a 3G or Wifi Network.
Another possible use case for Karizma is being able to call a store or a local business you’re passing by or curious about and inquire as to whether or not they are busy or there are reservations available. Imagine what this will do for the glutted SF brunch rush.
Founded by the Russian-born Egor Lavrov, Karizma plans on monetizing by subscription, offering unlimited calls to users nearby as well as iAd and AdMob for the freemium model. As for the privacy concerns here, that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms.
Q&A
Generally ambivalent reaction from the judges, primarily based on the chicken and the egg problem.