Upwine, Grovy, and Yumminn win the second edition of the Horeca Challenge, organised by Mediapro, Damm, Familia Torres, and PepsiCo
Start ups carry out a pilot program for their solution, which is co-funded by the contest's sponsors
Upwine, Grovy, and Yumminn are the startups that won the second edition of the Horeca Challenge, the initiative launched by Grupo MEDIAPRO, Damm, Familia Torres, and PepsiCo to boost the catering sector with solutions that will allow for the mid-term growth of the bar and restaurant industry. The winners will carry out a pilot program of their solution, co-funded by the contest organisers.
This edition of the Horeca Challenge was launched in late 2021, focusing on innovation as a tool to transform bars and restaurants, once the worst of the pandemic is over. Over a hundred companies submitted their candidacies, from which three finalists for each of the three proposed sectors were chosen. A jury comprised of professionals from Grupo EDIAPRO, Damm, Familia Torres, and PepsiCo was tasked with choosing the three winning projects.
In the project category for enriching delivery and take away service channels with digital content, the winning startup is Upwine. The company has developed an app that facilitates interactive product tastings. During the pilot program, they will reach out to establshments and clients, in order to perform tastings from home, and demonstrate whether this type of solution boosts these establishments' business.
Meanwhile, as part of the challenge to drive the use of Horeca spaces by incorporating new uses, the winner is Grovy. This startup has developed a platform to monetise unoccupied spaces. The expansion of telework has led many companies to adopt this model, and as a result, many horeca venues have seen reduced client traffic, or even become empty spaces. The pilot program will seek to have users take advantage of these places to perform telework or carry out other activities, prompting their return to bars and restaurants.
Lastly, in the improving efficiency of the channel value chain category, the winner is Yumminn. The firm has developed an app that is integrated into the payment gateway of bars and restaurants, which allows consumers to pay from their tables, and can divide the bill and gratuities among the patrons. The pilot program seeks to validate whether this type of solution leads to an increase in business due to it being user friendly and because of the subsequent data analysis.
The development of pilot programs, which shall be co-funded by the promoters of the Horeca Challenge, will begin in April and will last three months. The second edition of the Horeca Challenge will end in July with a "Demo Day" where the winning companies will show the results of their pilot programs to distinguished investors and other companies. The Horeca Challenge has the support of the ACCIÓ -Generalitat de Catalunya- and of F6S, AECOC and Tech Barcelona as collaborators.
