San Diego is the Mecca of Craft Beers. With over 100 breweries, America’s Finest City is the place to be(er). And we here at Seamgen believe in the mantra, “work hard, play hard.” In a market as saturated as the beer industry, it’s hard to separate the cream from the crap. Thankfully, TapHunter, a beer-based startup, does the hard work for us.
And in an age where convenience is key, TapHunter is just that. By using computers to bridge the world between draft and drinker, it’s never been easier to find your favorite brew or update your inventory.
Why did we pick TapHunter?
The hardest part about drinking is picking a place to drink. Does your crowd consist of beer snobs? What about whiskey lovers? Picking a bar or venue that suits everybody’s needs can be a hassle…and that’s where TapHunter comes in.
Since they are based out of San Diego, they were able to experience the microbrew revolution first hand. And oftentimes, revolutions are followed by chaos. So many beers, breweries, bars; it was hard to keep track of who had your favorite drinks and where they were on tap.
TapHunter not only does this for the consumer, but for a business owner; TapHunter keeps your beer lists updated across all your social media platforms. What began as a convenient way to enjoy beer is becoming a necessity…and investors seem to think so as well.
Investing
Their most recent round of investing brought in over $500,000 ($552,500, to be exact) through angel investing. And before that, they’ve had $330,000 in 2 rounds of seed funding. These aren’t just some people working out of their garage; they’re building a platform and system that they want integrated across all bars and restaurants.
The Story
It all started with a little phrase:
I am a craft beer drinker.
Jeff and Melani Gordon started this campaign back in 2010, after realizing that there was a huge base of craft beer drinker. They figured it was time to do something about this underserved base; thus, TapHunter was born.
Through hard work and passion, they were able to expand from their garage to thousands of bars and restaurants across the United States; apparently, a lot of people shared their vision, and it wasn’t all beer goggles after all.
Even though they’ve gone national, they have no plans of stopping anytime soon; people love their libations. They want to be integrated into every bar and restaurant that serves alcohol. And with a retention rate of 99%, this isn’t a far-fetched goal, nor is this some novelty app that businesses and consumers use. It’s a serious app with multi-platform capabilities to make the lives of businesses and customers more convenient.
How does it work?
For something so extensive, it’s amazingly simple.
First, you’re going to have to make an account with their website. Boom, step one done.
Then, you’re going to have to upload your beer/wine/spirits/cocktail list, input your social media information, and then that’s it. Now, every time you update your libations list, it’ll update it in real time across all online and electronic menus, as well as send out a notification to all of your followers.
And for being in an industry that’s all about catering to your customers needs, TapHunter makes it as easy as possible to make sure the customer is happy and always ready to be wined–and hopefully “dined” shortly after that.
Not only that, it offers extensive analytics tools to help business owners see which drinks are most popular, which kegs you’re running low on, and what you’re going to need to reorder soon.
It’s such a niche market that the potential is endless; there’s nobody else doing what they’re doing, and nobody who can do what they’re doing as well as they are.
And it shows.
They’ve grown locally from San Diego to globally in less than a decade. And they’re not just mom and pop shops either. Huge retailers such as Whole Foods and Slaters 50/50 are raving about TapHunter’s capabilities; it’s become an integral part of their alcohol operations.
Where are they now?
Their aspirations know no bounds. In the coming years, TapHunter looks forward to continuous growth around the globe, as well as partnering up with other breweries and bars to provide a less industry-based experience for the more casual drinker. Based off their recent success, it looks as if they’re going to try to expand their user base and work for a more mobile audience.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for tuning into our San Diego Startup of the Week! Be sure to come back next Monday to see which startup we’ll be reviewing next.
If your company is interested in partnering with a San Diego-based software development company, check out our services and recent partners.
Check out our other Startup of the Week articles below, or check out our blog for the latest and greatest tech trends.
San Diego Startup of the Week: Seismic
San Diego Startup of the Week: Doctible
San Diego Startup of the Week: Cordial
