On this Kornerz Conversation brought together adventure, entrepreneurship, timing, and a surprising amount of wisdom from the bottom of the ocean. Our guest, Chris Tingley — Dive Master, Technologist, Angel Investor, and Co-Founder of Profyle Card — joined us from the UK for a special edition of the show.
With Rich off for Thanksgiving in the US and Khalil hosting from Brazil, Chris stepped into a global conversation about networking, innovation, and the personal journey behind building a sustainable digital business.
Connect with Chris:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-tingley/
Website:
https://www.profylecard.com
Below is your complete recap.
The Networking Guy — and Why It Matters More Than Ever
From the moment the livestream opened, Chris was described as “the networking guy” — the person who’s always hosting events, attending meetups, or building new relationships.
What Chris shared is simple but powerful:
Networking isn’t just showing up.
It isn’t about collecting business cards.
It’s about building genuine relationships.
His team had just finished exhibiting at a show — their first since Web Summit — and he reminded us that the real work starts afterward:
“The follow-ups are the important bit.”
For Chris, networking is a long game. It compounds.
From Landlocked Reading to Thailand: How Diving Changed Everything
One of the most engaging parts of the conversation was Chris’s story of becoming a certified dive master — something you wouldn’t expect from a tech founder living in Reading, UK, a completely landlocked town.
His journey unfolded like this:
After university, he and a friend wanted a hobby to replace university clubs.
They randomly found a local scuba diving club — despite being miles from the coast.
They trained in pools, then spent weekends diving on the south coast or in UK quarries.
Years later, burnout from running his agency, Conjure, pushed him to take a 3-month sabbatical.
He went to Thailand, interned at a dive school, and completed his dive master training — doing three to four dives per day.
He describes it as:
“One of the best experiences I’ve done… continuously meeting new people… just brilliant.”
He’s also dived in:
The Red Sea
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
The icy-clear waters of the Hebrides in Scotland
These experiences shaped his worldview — calm, adaptive, curious — traits that show up in his approach to business.
Entrepreneurship as a Product of Initiative, Not Planning
Chris never sat down with a five-year plan and said, “I will start a company.”
Instead:
His first job happened because he showed up at a computer repair shop at 15 or 16.
The owner said no — until Chris offered to paint the building so he could be around computers.
That led to small tasks… which led to real technical learning.
That self-starting attitude is what carried him into building Conjure, Future Spaces, Profyle Card, and more.
As he put it:
“I’ve always been very independent… self-starting… I just get stuck in.”
This is the throughline of his entire story.
Tech + People Skills: Becoming a Generalist Founder
Khalil pointed out something rare: Chris is both deeply technical and highly social — an unusual combo in the tech world.
Chris explained why becoming a generalist is a superpower today:
Tools make it easier than ever to learn new skills.
Startups require wearing multiple hats.
Timing matters more than perfect expertise.
Most founders won’t have a full sales + marketing + technical co-founder lineup.
So early experience across different teams is invaluable.
His advice for young founders:
“Learn from some other people first — with their money.”
Work at startups. See cycles. Understand how teams operate. It will save you later.
Profyle Card: The Pub Idea That Became a Sustainable Business
Profyle Card — the digital, NFC-enabled alternative to paper business cards — started like many great UK ideas:
“Like all great ideas in the UK… it started in the pub.”
During COVID, Chris and his co-founder discussed:
Sustainability
Waste in traditional business cards
The awkwardness of handing over cards during a pandemic
The mismatch between offline cards and digital workflows
They built the first version together. And five years later:
Profyle Card is used by companies from 5 to 50,000 employees.
It’s fully bootstrapped.
It’s profitable.
It’s environmentally forward-thinking.
Their mission:
Replace single-use business cards with a sustainable, digital solution.
Future focus:
Event discovery tools
Helping people connect more intentionally
Improving how relationships form at events
AI is part of the roadmap — but applied with care, not hype.
Timing: The Most Brutal Factor in Startups
Chris shared candidly that one of his past startups failed because they were simply too early for the market.
He reminded us that:
Timing is impossible to control.
Timing kills more ideas than talent.
Timing determines whether you can raise money.
“The market will tell you if you’re too early or too late.”
This grounded realism is rare — and refreshing.
Bootstrapping vs. VC: Two Playbooks, Not One Truth
The conversation turned toward funding — a topic founders love to debate.
Chris’s perspective:
VC Path
Sexy.
Fast.
Visibility and PR.
But you spend more time raising than building.
And exits often leave founders with very little.
Bootstrapping Path
Harder upfront.
Slower growth.
But deeply rewarding.
Full ownership.
No external pressure.
Profyle Card was built this way — and it worked beautifully.
His takeaway:
“It’s two different playbooks. Neither is wrong — but they have very different costs.”
Location: Do You Need Silicon Valley? Dubai? London?
Chris’s answer was simple:
You can build a business anywhere.
But certain places increase your odds.
London is one such place — with density, funding, and talent.
University towns like Cambridge and Oxford also offer deep innovation hubs.
But fundamentally:
“You can start anywhere. Just stack the odds in your favor.”
AI, Hype Cycles, and the Bubble That Always Comes
Chris studied cybernetics — so AI has been in his world for decades.
But he’s clear-eyed about the moment we’re in:
Yes, AI tools look like magic.
Yes, the output is incredible.
Yes, there’s tremendous value.
But like crypto and blockchain, there will be a contraction.
He put it perfectly:
“You can build anything now… but should you?”
The next evolution of AI will reward clarity, not novelty.
Final Thoughts from Chris
With global conflict, inflation, shifting tech hype cycles, and founders burning out everywhere, Chris closed with a calm, grounded take:
Watch the evolution of AI carefully.
Focus on value, not hype.
Stay human in how you build and connect.
Timing matters — but resilience matters more.
The conversation ended with an invitation to continue on the Kornerz Social Network, moving from livestream to Nook for a more intimate community chat.
Closing Reflection — What This Conversation Reminds Us
This Kornerz Conversation captured everything our community stands for:
Passion turned into opportunity
Curiosity turned into expertise
Networking turned into relationships
Care for the planet turned into a business model
Failure turned into timing lessons
And technology grounded in human connection
Chris Tingley’s journey is a reminder that:
Careers aren’t linear.
Opportunities aren’t scheduled.
And entrepreneurship is built one brave leap at a time.
Keep exploring. Keep connecting. And always take the follow-up seriously.
