Local developer launches nation’s first digital mailbox

Steven Gianfilippo believes Tampa Bay will forever be known as the birthplace of a new era for mail – one that is free from unwanted junk, and pays people to view advertisements. 

Gianfilippo has launched DOMI, the nation’s first secure digital mail management and communication platform. He is also the CEO of Tampa-based development and investment firm Gianco Companies. 

DOMI verifies every sender and receiver, saves trees, reduces waste and enables users to opt out of unwanted ads. The app and mailing platform are now live for Tampa Bay-area homeowners and advertisers.

“We can really solve some problems here,” Gianfilippo said. “Everybody wants to cut down on junk mail and waste and find more efficient ways to communicate and save money.” 

Direct mail is a $38 billion industry in the U.S. Companies send over 100 billion advertisements annually, which often immediately go in the trash or recycling bin unread. 

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) reported a $9.5 billion net loss last year. Gianfilippo noted the 250-year-old institution has “never really found any innovation.” 

The USPS also lacks “do not mail lists” and must deliver solicitations to anyone who pays the required postage. Gianfilippo said taxpayers are essentially subsidizing corporate advertising while the agency bleeds money. 

“And then we have to foot the bill to recycle all of that, to the tune of 100 million trees annually,” he added. “This is something that I just got really passionate about. This is a huge problem, and it needs to be fixed in some way.” 

The idea for DOMI, a play on the Latin word for domicile, came to Gianfilippo during the pandemic. He called technology his “alternative investment vehicle to real estate.” 

Gianfilippo spent the past year developing a platform that exists in other countries. About 63% of Sweden’s population has a digital mailbox.

“What SpaceX is to NASA, DOMI could be that to the USPS,” Gianfilippo said of the private space exploration company. “So, subsidize and take some of the burden away from physical mail delivery.”

Homeowners use their driver’s license to receive a verified DOMI ID, a unique digital identity tied to a physical address. Gianfilippo will soon expand the platform to businesses and renters. 

People often receive mail for prior residents, which DOMI eliminates. Vetted government, utility, bank and other communications go directly to a secure mailbox. 

Gianfilippo believes consumers should receive “something of value” in exchange for solicitations. DOMI charges companies postage to deliver mail digitally to homes, which is then paid to the recipient for consuming the content. Organizations can also send official mail, including statements, through DOMI’s subscription pay-per-document platform. 

“A homeowner could make an additional $100 a month from it,” Gianfilippo said. “They could also make $300, depending on the value of their home. If advertisers want to send you things, you might as well get a little compensation for it.” 

The Domi consumer app and mailer platform are now live at www.digitaldomi.com.

The platform also offers an artificial intelligence-powered management system that enables users to store, organize, summarize and instantly retrieve mail, rather than sorting through cluttered stacks of envelopes. A neighbor-to-neighbor chat function allows people to securely and efficiently communicate without sharing private information. 

“It’s really like my address communicating with my neighbor’s address,” Gianfilippo said. “We think it’s going to be really popular once we start geofencing chats within a neighborhood.” 

Gianfilippo explained that users can scan physical mail, and DOMI will let advertisers know if they want to unsubscribe or continue receiving solicitations – for a fee. The platform will also save companies money, as there is “only a cost when consumers actually consume the content.”

“It’s not like now when you send out a bunch of physical postcards, and you have to pay for it no matter what,” he said. 

Gianfilippo looks forward to discussing DOMI with the City of Tampa, which spends $1.4 million annually on postage. He reiterated that local governments could also save money on recycling by utilizing the platform. 

About 65 million households already use USPS Informed Delivery. The free platform sends subscribers a picture of the envelopes they will receive that day. 

Gianfilippo believes the program’s usage rate provides validation for DOMI, which will “take it one step further and actually show the content that was inside the envelope.” He is focusing on establishing the platform in Tampa Bay before expanding nationwide. 

“We know the City of St. Petersburg has a budget for mail and the same passion we do for sustainability and green initiatives,” Gianfilippo said. “This is our backyard, so that’s what we’re working on now.”