To revolutionize the concept of typical dating services by adapting it to the Latin American culture and giving a new approach to the experience. That is the goal of GlubersGlubers, the application created by Colombians Daniel Gómez (34), Antonio Plata (28) and Andrés Galindo (32), which originated in Bogotá where it has more than 6,500 users. The platform was launched in Montevideo at the end of February and already has 2,000 registered users.
Glubers, also known as the "Colombian Tinder", works from the creation of profiles by users, after connecting through their Facebook account and including a photo and data on tastes and preferences. Then, the user creates a group of up to three friends and based on their data, the application connects them with other groups with similar tastes so that they can get in touch and coordinate a date in a bar, restaurant or cafe within the options offered by the platform.
"The big difference between Glubers and Tinder is that, whoever uses this app, really knows the other user and is not left only with your profile picture," says the CEO and co-founder of Glubers, Daniel Gomez. Another difference with Tinder is that it is not one to one, but rather group outings aimed at meeting people.
Two modalities
Once the date between -for example- a group of three friends with another group of three friends, they buy in advance the first drink that they will later consume at the bar they chose to meet.
The other option is to simply reserve the drink and pay for it at the bar.
Using the first method you can get a 50% discount (since that is where the monetization of the venture is). To do this, the user can pay for the service through Banred or Red Pagos. The application only works with the first consumption, the following ones will not have discounts and the profits will be for the local.
So far, Gallaghers, Dakota and B.Haley are the three "allied" bars in Montevideo for the use of the application, but are in talks with other establishments and plan to venture into events.
Uruguayan user profile
The majority of users in Montevideo are between 18 and 34 years old. However, Gómez points out that unlike Bogotá, Montevideo has a group of users in their 40s and 50s who are looking for people to hang out with. "They manage to get online pretty quickly," he says, referring to the fact that they found that age is not an obstacle to using this technology in Uruguay.
Of the 2,000 people who have downloaded the application, 40% have become "frequent or active" users, meaning that they have logged in and used it repeatedly. The platform is available for both iOS and Android systems.
Why Montevideo
To start their expansion in Latin America, the Colombian entrepreneurs decided to make Montevideo their first base and are installed in Cowork Uruguay.
Daniel Gómez says there were several reasons why they chose the city. The first is because Uruguay is a small country and, therefore, the risks and chances of failure are lower. At the same time, the entrepreneur said that the country's legal framework - in which he highlighted the free trade zones for their low taxes - facilitates the establishment of a company as well as its consolidation. On the other hand, Gómez admitted that although the Colombian government has launched several campaigns in recent times for foreign companies to invest in the country, Colombia's guerrilla past is often seen as a risk to make an investment.
Glubers arrived in Uruguay last October to be part of the third generation of startups incubated in Da Vinci Labs. Their incubation will be for a year, during which time they will receive advice to settle in the country and establish themselves in the market.
Connect