Latest news with #Bota
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
AI-powered platform Botaplace aims to make selling products online effortless
Akeem Adebisi wants to change e-commerce. The Winnipeg entrepreneur is one of the founders of Botaplace, an artificial intelligence-powered online platform that aims to make selling products online effortless. Whether users are solo entrepreneurs, resellers or small businesses, Botaplace purports to give them everything they need to launch, promote and manage their store — all in one platform. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Akeem Adebisi and his wife Bunmi run Botaplace. Sellers upload a photo or description of their product and an AI assistant generates a listing and social media-ready videos for advertising. 'Our mission is simple,' said Adebisi, 45. 'We want to level the playing field and give businesses the same global reach and marketing capability that a big box retailer has.' Users can access the platform by visiting or by downloading the app. Sellers upload a photo or description of their product and 'Bo,' Botaplace's AI assistant, generates a listing and short, social media-ready videos for advertising. Additionally, Bo creates secure payment links that sellers can share on social media or by email and text. The Botaplace dashboard also tracks inventory, fulfillment and shipping. The result is a selling platform that does away with the need for advertising agencies, payment gateways and fulfillment centres, Adebisi said. In Adebisi's estimation, online selling platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji are designed with the buyer's experience in mind. Botaplace aims to help retailers sell more units by getting their listings in front of buyers who are already searching for those products on the platform. 'Then you can relax and think about your business and how to grow it,' said Adebisi, who runs Botaplace with his wife, Bunmi. Born and raised in Nigeria, Adebisi moved to Winnipeg 10 years ago to reunite with family and to pursue his dreams of helping society and creating a better life for his children. Botaplace is not the software engineer and IT professional's first online platform. Three years ago, he launched AjoPro, an app that helps people from racialized communities save money to meet their financial goals. After coming up with the idea for Botaplace, Adebisi purchased Ready Made Solutions Inc., a Calgary-based software company with around 10 employees, to help him create the platform. (He declined to disclose the terms of the deal.) 'I do have strong faith… that Bota will transform the way people sell,' Adebisi said. 'One of my strongest beliefs and hopes… is that whether you're selling on Amazon or Shopify, or selling to traditional marketplaces, that Bota can amplify your reach.' It's exciting to see what people can do with AI and Botaplace sounds like 'a really good use of it,' said Harry Roy McLaughlin, founding chairman of the Manitoba Association of AI Professionals. 'That seems to be where a lot of technology, especially with AI, is going: being able to have a more natural interaction with AI and it being able to take actions on your behalf,' McLaughlin said. Botaplace has a supporter in Zita Somakoko, president of Black-Manitobans Chamber of Commerce. At a difficult time for Canada-U.S. trade, Somakoko is promoting the platform to chamber members as a reliable customer relationship management tool. 'Bota is… offering a solution for entrepreneurs that is made in Canada,' she said. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Adebisi hopes Botaplace becomes popular in the keystone province and beyond. 'The relationship between (Canada) and the United States is becoming very unreliable and we need people to look at other ways of selling their products,' he said. 'We have high hopes for this product and we think it's going to be something Manitobans can be proud of.' Botaplace takes a 15 per cent commission based on the original selling price entered by the seller. It makes additional revenue if sellers pay to boost their listing. The app has been available on Google's Play Store since May and became available on Apple's App Store last week. Aaron Epp Reporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron.
Telegraph
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The 14 best restaurants in Dubrovnik
Fresh local seafood tops the menu in Dubrovnik, from octopus burgers in low-key, hole-in-the-wall eateries to slap-up sushi feasts with fresh oysters and amberjack sashimi. Other options in this city of food lovers range from hearty sandwich joints to intimate Bosnian eateries. Below our expert rounds up Dubrovnik's finest restaurants, while for further inspiration, see our in-depth guides to the city's best hotels, bars and other nightlife, what to see and do, plus how to spend a weekend in Dubrovnik. Old Town Above 5 With just ten tables on a tiny rooftop terrace, Above 5 affords stunningly romantic views over the old town. The menu features sophisticated Creative Mediterranean cuisine, with highlights including lobster with homemade pasta, sundried tomatoes and basil cream, and 28-day dry-aged beef tenderloin with potato pave, baba ganoush cream and celeriac puree. You'll find it on the fifth floor at Hotel Stari Grad – note that there's no lift and the stairs up are steep. Contact: Prices: £££ Reservations: Essential Bota Sushi & Oyster Bar Bota specialises in raw fresh oysters from the owner's farm in the Pelješac peninsula (they can make oyster tempura if you prefer them cooked), plus a choice of beautifully presented sushi prepared from outstanding locally sourced fresh fish. For a celebratory feast, order the sumptuous selection of salmon maki, amberjack sashimi, tuna tartar and tiger prawn tempura, plus a bottle of champagne. Bota moved to a new location last summer, just inside the Buža Gate entrance to the Old Town. Proto An old-fashioned and romantic establishment that dates back to 1886. The best tables are on a leafy first-floor covered terrace, plus there's a ground-floor dining room and tables on the street out front. It is widely regarded as the best fish restaurant in Dubrovnik, and specialises in classy Dalmatian seafood. You can indulge in summery octopus salad, homemade ricotta ravioli with shelled shrimp tails, and whole fresh fish, served filleted. Recent illustrious customers include Croatian NBA legend Toni Kukoč and retired Ivory Coast and Chelsea FC footballer Didier Drogba. Azur This restaurant in Pobijana street was founded by two Dubrovnik-born brothers and serves Croatian cuisine with an Asian twist. The menu is short but innovative – most dishes are based on fresh Dalmatian seafood, with exotic flavours added by Thai spices and fragrant herbs. Think CroAsian style seafood Laksa; swordfish in black curry sauce; and Beijing pork belly tacos. The atmosphere is relaxed and fun, with tables in a whitewashed vaulted space, with stone floors, Oriental rugs, subtle lighting and mellow music. Taj Mahal This is one of the few eateries to stay open most of the year in the Old Town, and offers a break from ubiquitous Dalmatian seafood. The kitchen turns out Bosnian specialities, with an emphasis on meat. Look out for Begović čorba (creamy chicken soup with vegetables), zeljanica (spinach and cheese filo-pastry pies), charcoal grilled kebabs, and syrupy Turkish-inspired desserts such as baklava. They have a halal certificate. The restaurant now dominates most of stone-paved Gučetića street with a long row of outdoor tables, but note that prices have shot up here recently. Kopun On a peaceful square in front of the Jesuit Church of St Ignatius, Kopun serves traditional Croatian dishes (which combine influences from Venetian, Austrian, Hungarian and Turkish cuisine), prepared with fresh local ingredients and a modern approach. Try the rich and fruity signature dish, Kopun (castrated cockerel in honey and wild orange), the pasticada (beef stewed in wine with prunes, served with gnocchi), or the royal shellfish brodet (seafood stewed with tomato, wine and fresh herbs). Needless to say, they serve quality Dalmatian wines, both by the glass and by the bottle. Barba This welcoming little hole-in-the-wall eatery specialises in "seafood street food" and is one of the few places in town to offer a reasonably-priced quick bite. It's an ideal spot for lunch or supper on the run, and comprises modern pinewood tables and stools seating about 10 guests, plus cushions on the stone steps out front. The daily menu is chalked up on a blackboard, with perennial favourites being the octopus burger and the mixed seafood platter, plus local wine served in plastic cups. Everything is cooked to order, and if they run out of fresh ingredients, they close early. Trattoria Carmen With just half a dozen tables in a narrow alley leading to the Aquarium, plus a handful of indoor tables, this welcoming, family-run eatery serves creative Mediterranean fare, prepared from fresh local seasonal produce. The menu changes daily, depending on what's best at the open-air morning market. House specialities include smoked tuna, homemade pasta with truffles and shrimps, octopus Carmen (tender octopus stewed in a rich sauce of tomato, olives and capers) and pašticada (beef stewed in sweet wine and prunes). They also make their own bread, baked fresh each morning. Buffet Škola You will find this tiny old-fashioned sandwich shop, renowned throughout town for its slabs of freshly baked bread filled with local pršut (prosciutto) and sir (cheese), as well as tasty homemade apple strudel, in the same street as the gallery War Photo, which makes it a good choice for a carb fix after a morning roaming the gallery. Most people come here for takeaway, but if you eat at one of the three tables inside, you will feel as if you are sitting in the Popović family kitchen. It is a real local hangout, and one of the few eateries to stay open all year. Cash only. Contact: Prices: £ Reservations: Not possible Gianni This charming ice cream parlour serves delicious artisan ice creams, homemade French-style pastries, old-fashioned Dubrovnik deserts, and a modest selection of vegan and gluten-free options. The owner-cook was formerly pastry-chef at Dubrovnik's Michelin-starred 360°. Come here at any time of day for excellent Cogito coffee and a sweet treat – favourites include the lemon-and-ginger sorbet, the lavender-and-honey ice cream and the Dalmatia carob cake. It lies in an alley leading to the Aquarium, with several shaded tables out front. Outside of the Old Town Orsan This long-standing restaurant has waterside tables overlooking the marina in the Orsan yacht club, and is shaded by pine trees along the stone quay. There is also additional seating on an upper terrace. Orsan is thoroughly unpretentious, and serves first-rate barbecued fresh fish, such as whole John Dory or sea bass (which they will fillet at your table), along with Dalmatian favourites like octopus salad and black risotto (made from cuttlefish ink). For those who prefer meat, they do succulent fillet steak or local lamb. It stays open all year, doing a cut-price daily menu in winter. Kiosk Dubrovnik In a small park close to Dubrovnik's Gruž port, this street-food kiosk opened in spring 2022. The global-fusion menu includes tasty snacks from around the world, such as salmon poke bowl, pulled pork tostada, and vegan poke bowl (with mushroom, hummus, guacamole and pickled pumpkin). Offering something a little different from Dubrovnik's ubiquitous Dalmatian seafood, it makes a novel and inexpensive option to formal dining. You can sit at high tables in front of the kiosk, or take away. Kiosk is the sister eatery of Azur in the Old Town. Pepper's In a candle-lit stone courtyard, with additional tables indoors, Pepper's serves popular international fare, with plenty of vegetarian options, such as homemade hummus and warm pitta bread, corn-on-the-cob and skin-on fries. Meat-eaters might opt for a rib-eye steak or a homemade burger, then round off with warm apple crumb pie. Also be sure to try their excellent cocktails – the Pepper's frozen margaritas go down a treat. You will find it on Lapad peninsular, close to the sailing marina. Contact: Prices: ££ Reservations: Recommended Urban & Veggie Overlooking boats in Gruž port, this hip vegetarian-vegan eatery is popular with locals and visitors alike. It has a funky interior, with lots of plants and a small courtyard with outdoor tables in summer. Come here for cold-pressed juices such as beetroot, apple, lemon and ginger, soups made from seasonal organic vegetables, a choice of vegetarian burgers, and a tasty green salad with roasted butternut squash, walnuts and chestnuts. How we choose Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller's taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up-to-date recommendations. Jane has lived on the Dalmatian Coast on and off since 1998. She explores the blissful Croatian islands in summer, and the cultural attractions, bars and restaurants of the mainland port cities of Split and Dubrovnik through winter.
