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Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Pitch
The Pitch: Hello Vino peeks into the wine cellar
By Lynette Cornell
MHT's Rodney Brown: App developers see opportunity in new iPhone
Hello Vino LLC
HEADQUARTERS: Tyngsboro
PHONE: 978-808-6006
Co-founder and marketing director: James McNamee
EMAIL: jim@hellovino.com
URL: www.hellovino.com
YEAR FOUNDED: 2008
EMPLOYEES: 3
The Pitch: Hello Vino is seeking between $500,000 and $1 million
In the company’s own words:
“Available as a mobile website, SMS tool and free iPhone app, Hello Vino provides consumers with wine recommendations via their mobile device. Hello Vino also offers mobile advertising opportunities for wine brands, allowing producers and marketing reps to select highly targeted ad placements based on wine product recommendations.”
The background:
Hello Vino was founded by James McNamee, Rick Breslin and Chris Mitchell. McNamee, who heads Hello Vino’s marketing efforts, previously worked at Monster.com as a senior program manager in the ad operations division, leading Internet advertising campaigns for clients.
Mitchell, who runs development, has over 10 years experience in web UI/UX design, specifically with back-end architecture development and web services.
Breslin is in charge of the company’s creative division. His experience includes 14 years in web site design, development and online marketing. In 2002, he founded website design and Internet marketing firm Drive Thru Interactive, where he still serves as president and CEO. At Drive Thru, he and McNamee frequently worked with wineries and began developing widgets for them on the side. In response to a market of overwhelmed consumers, said McNamee, the founders decided to create a comprehensive guide for consumers trying to make wine purchasing decisions. The application has made over 5 million recommendations since its launch in June 2009, and that year, Mashable named Hello Vino the top app for wine lovers.
About the technology:
The wine data is gathered via API from the databases of online wine retailers Wine.com and Snooth.com, and brand management firm Cruvee Inc. Wineries can add their wines to the database for free. With the application’s PPC marketing option, wineries can secure top placement in search results that users see with the. Users can share their wine finds on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.
The application also allows users to access wine reviews, sourced from the Chicago Tribune, Certified Specialists of Wine, Certified Wine Educators and Sommeliers certified by the Master Court of Sommeliers.
The competition:
The mobile application market is filled with mobile tools for people interested in wine, ranging from wine connoisseurs to consumers with little to no knowledge on different wine offerings. McNamee estimates there are over 70 such apps. Among the companies vying for the mobile wine market is Cambridge-based Drync LLC, which has been offering its own app since 2008. McNamee said Hello Vino differs from the competition by allowing users to discover wines without any prior wine knowledge or preferences. He also said the company intends to keep their application free for users and rely on PPC marketing sales and value added features, such as a barcode scanner, for revenue.
The pitch:
Hello Vino is seeking between $500,000 and $1,000,000 for use in marketing, both traditional and online; hiring sales and development staff members; developing new features and offering versions of its mobile application for new platforms, such as the Droid; and other business development and globalization endeavors, including food and recipe partnerships, celebrity endorsements and customized content for international locations.
The market:
The company plans to tap the $700 million spent annually on online wine advertising. It also predicts a breakeven point in six to 12 months.
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