Raising the bar, to the cloud

When it comes to introducing technology in some of the most novel ways, Chennaiites seem to have special expertise. With some of the most interesting startups making their way across the country, a new one to add to the list is a platform that is transporting a bar to the cloud! A brainchild of Chennai-based entrepreneur, Prasanna Natarajan, HipBar is an app that allows one to pay for their favourite bottle of alcohol online and then redeem it in a bar, or pick the bottle up from a retail store that sells alcohol — simply put, it’s a digital wallet for your drinks.

Having started a spirits business in 2007, Prasanna has been into the business of crafting high-quality alcohols for close to a decade now.

“Being an entrepreneur in the spirits space, I realised that there was a lot of difficulty in getting good products for the customers. When I discussed the problem with others in the industry, they said they were facing similar issues, in reaching the customer with the limitations that the industry holds. So, I thought I would create a technology platform — where the brands which people love to consume, and the places which they love to go to — all come together. It was a problem I was trying to solve through this app,” says Prasanna, adding that the first few months after he took on the project were spent in researching the legalities.

The app, which went live during the first week of March in Bengaluru initially, will soon come to the Android and iOS users in Chennai. HipBar also comes handy in letting one monitor the amount of alcohol they consume, he says — “This is an age-verified market place, where we deal with only high quality alcohol. Our objective is to help people upgrade their drinking experiences, where we aim to help people keep a tab on their drinking habits, and control their urge to drink more. That is our underlying responsibility.”

The app, which can be downloaded for free, has already registered around 10,000 downloads so far. “In the next one-and-a-half months we should be accessible in Chennai. Since we’re a Chennai-based firm, it’s also a matter of pride for us to bring it to the state. And we will work within the prescribed liquor laws in Tamil Nadu,” Prasanna explains, adding that they would also be expanding to other Indian cities gradually.

“Chennai has been traditionally known across the country for many business-business and other consumer technologies like Freshdesk, Magzter, etc., and we would like to be right up there with these companies,” he says, signing off.