Sept. 14, 2021 --- The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), the trade group of 3,000 independent music andcomedy venues, festivals, and promoters, which was formed at the onset of the pandemic and secured $16 billion in emergency relief through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, announced today that it has secured a partnership with Bindle, a digital healthveri?cation software built to respect privacy, security, and equity in reopening safely. The Bindle app allows audience members,employees, and artists to securely store their COVID-19 test and vaccination records, and then transform them into entry passesthat comply with a venue’s speci?c entry requirements. It is HIPAA-compliant, requires no special hardware, and strictlymaintains all users’ right to privacy.

 

“It’s clear that vaccinations are the ticket out of this pandemic, and the way to gather again safely,” said NIVA Executive DirectorRev. Moose. “Many of our members across the nation are having additional challenges with reopening that will be allayed with the help of the Bindle app. We’ve made arrangements to ensure our members will get access to this health veri?cation technology ata fraction of the cost, thanks to our once again coming together as an industry.”

 

Bindle is designed so individuals retain 100% control of their personal health information. No other group ever sees this data — not venues, not government entities, and not even Bindle. The Bindle platform was also speci?cally designed for freedom of choice: people who are not vaccinated can instead add proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test. The software is free to individuals and priced affordably for venues. Every type of location, from a small space to a large festival ground, can use the technology to verifyCOVID-19 health status.

 

“The live entertainment industry is such an essential part of America’s culture, we are proud to be working with NIVA to helpindependent performance venues safely reopen - and stay open.” said Gus Warren, co-founder and CEO of Bindle Systems. “Asa Public Bene?t Corporation, we intentionally built and priced our system to be widely deployed, and this partnership is a greatexample of that approach.”

 

About NIVA

Formed at the onset of the COVID-19 shutdown, National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), represents more than 3,000 members in all 50states and Washington, D.C. NIVA created and led the #SaveOurStages campaign, resulting in landmark legislation establishing the Shuttered VenueOperators Grant program administered by the Small Business Administration. NIVA's mission is to preserve and nurture the ecosystem of independent livevenues, promoters and festivals throughout the United States. The National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF) was founded to further this mission by also seeking to support a transparent, competitive marketplace serving a diverse and inclusive community of artists, fans, and industry workers. NIVA iscommitted to equity in its support and advocacy for independent venues, and seeks to create and encourage opportunities for venues, promoters,

and festivals owned, operated, and staffed by people of color, women, non-binary, LGBTQ , veterans, and people with disabilities.

 

About Bindle Systems

Bindle Systems is a Public Bene?t Corporation founded in the early days of COVID-19 to build software tools for pandemic defense. Our ?rst product is

a private proof-of-health system speci?cally designed to safely reopen communities without sacri?cing freedoms or civil liberties. Individuals use Bindle as a health wallet to securely carry vaccine records, test results, and symptom surveys. Workplaces, schools, and other venues use Bindle to quickly andanonymously verify the COVID-19 health status of employees, students, customers, and guests. Bindle is safer than the “honor system" and more privatethan “vaccine passports.” Individuals have complete control of their data and no personal health information is ever shared with venues, the government, oreven Bindle itself. The platform was designed and commercialized by serial entrepreneurs who have also held executive product and technology roles atAOL, American Express, CLEAR, Samsung, and Time Warner. Our team has expertise across multiple disciplines including infectious disease, publichealth, social impact, privacy-by-design, cryptography, decentralized computing, and open source software. More information can be found athttps://joinbindle.com.

 

 

Media Contact

For NIVA: Audrey Fix Schaefer, audrey@930.com For Bindle: bindle@copper?eld.nyc

 

NIVA | National Independent Venue Association                                                                                          nivassoc.org