Tech
‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE BOOZY... INTRODUCING
Somabar
www.somabarkickstarter.com/ Kickstarter has brought us a variety of projects over the last few years: from the innovative, such as the Pebble Watches, through to the hilarious, like the card game “Exploding Kittens”. But some projects were created by true entrepreneurial heroes; Somabar is one of those projects.
Designed by Dylan Purcell-Lowe and Ammar Jangbarwala, Somabar disguises itself as a coffee machine, but brews up something which is certainly not
By Mila Georgieva
recommended first thing in the morning - cocktails.
It connects to your smartphone via Wi-Fi and lets you choose a drink you wish to make: either a classic or your own recipe. It then concocts your beverage of choice in under five seconds by combining the ingredients from its six refillable external Soma Pods.
In an interview with Entrepreneur, the creators discussed the ideas behind their project and how their impatience ultimately became their muse when they developed the final product. Born mostly from frustration in queuing and
As of now, Somabar is available for
slow service, Somabar is a truly futuristic bartender - using precise measure-
pre-order. So if you have a
ments every time with little chance of error: ensuring every drink
spare $429 (around £321)
is as perfect as the last. Purcell-Lowe also joked with the interviewer that making cocktails at home is also sometimes quite difficult.. “Especially when
you could have a piece of the future.
you’ve had a few.” (We feel you!) The ideas behind the project were also largely inspired by alcohol-providing vending machines in Japan, and Keurig coffee machines which use “pods” to make each drink.
After three years of planning and designing, the creative duo turned to Kickstarter, where all the hard work paid off as their $50,000 (around £37,512) goal was surpassed within the campaign’s 53-day period, which ended at the end of August this year and raised a total of $312,707 (around £234,607). But their success is not only due to word of mouth - an attractive advertising campaign and active social media presence helped along the way and piqued the interest of investors who contributed to the now near-quarter-million project.
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