Enterprising Edinburgh bartender launches app to 'bring fun back' to pubs
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A former bartender who felt pubs were becoming a 'sad place' following the pandemic has launched an app to 'inject the fun' back in.
Eilidh Mutch, 25, spent years working behind bars in the capital. After Covid, she set out on enticing punters back into pubs after the sector took a hit.
She's now launched an app, Tavora, that offers bar goers a chance to win a prize with every order. Elidih, from Newington, managed to secure funding and trial it at boozers across the city.
She said: "I loved working in hospitality, but it was just a sad place to work post-Covid because nobody was going out.
'I wanted to do something to inject fun back into going to the pub and entice people to get back to their favourite locals. I managed to secure funding to create the initial Spin the Wheel type game and trialled it across a few pubs in Edinburgh.
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"It became an instant hit and it's just spiralled from there. People became competitive with their friends on who'd win the most prizes, so it added another dimension to the night out."
Eilidh graduated from Dundee University in 2021 with a business degree, and set up the business later that same year. Despite having no tech background, she managed to attract funding for the app.
Now a team of four, the business was assisted with funding from Scottish EDGE - a business funding competition. Eilidh, speaking ahead of the Scottish EDGE finals this Friday 9 May, said: "We had big brands getting in touch to say they had no market data to track behaviour at their events.
"We create a specific game for each company we work with, telling their brand story for the customer through the game. We can now provide them with data insights on the age demographic of customers.
"It works great in the UK and the dream in the future would be to make it a success across the world."
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Calum Purdie, Technology and Life Sciences Ecosystem Manager at Johnston Carmichael, helps to judge EDGE competitors' pitches, and supports winners with business advice.
Calum said: "Eilidh has an amazing back story, and it's been great to see how Tavora has gone from strength to strength in recent years, working with an incredible array of established brands.
"Johnston Carmichael and Scottish EDGE are both pleased to have played a small part in supporting the business reach this stage, and we'd like to wish the very best of luck to everyone taking part in this year's finals."
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