Image courtesy of Derek Battle
Maryland Entrepreneurship is one of the best in the country. The Greater Baltimore Area, in particular, has been on the rise as one of the best metros for growing new ventures over the last decade. GBC (2023) remarks, “The region’s opportunity share of new entrepreneurs ranks 2nd among the largest metro regions in the U.S.” The FlaveApp company, created by the two co-founders Jal Irani and Derek Battle, built an app to provide incentives for eating at local restaurants. Diners can take a photo of their eats, and users can earn “Flave Cash” that lines them up for potential deals or to win a gift card.
Image courtesy of Jai Irani
As a business owner in the Greater Baltimore Area, the innovation hub has provided many resources. A company that I want to highlight is FlaveApp. I have downloaded the app. Their company is culturally diverse, representing the clients and restaurants serviced in the Baltimore-D.C. area. The FlaveApp may initially appear as an app that other companies have seen before. Still, this app is Maryland based, which makes it extra unique, but also because its team and engineers have all graduated from Johns Hopkins, UMBC, Towson, and the University of Maryland. Two years ago, FlaveApp was among the ten companies that brought on a high school intern from Baltimore City through the Baltimore Track’s program, a coalition of Baltimore-based technology companies committed to building a diverse tech talent pipeline. The company is already giving back to the community.
FlaveApp (2023) “Users of the Flave enjoy a gamified approach to dining in or ordering take out by taking photos of their food and getting exclusive deals. Restaurants can partner with Flave to reach new customers and reward existing ones at no cost.” So far, diners enjoy recommendations from their friends and the ability to stay updated with what restaurants offer. The benefit to participating restaurants is that Flave restaurant partners are presented with dining metrics and other actionable data to optimize their operations.
FlaveApp is live on both the App Store and Google Play. The FlaveApp provides incentives for participating restaurants that enable deals to benefit restaurants. And with those photos and other tools, Flave offers a way to browse local spots based on preferences. More importantly, Flave is a discovery app that motivates people to dine at local restaurants where people fellowship, reunite, and create lasting memories. Every local restaurant has a minimum of 10 points you can earn by photographing your meal, food, or drink. Cofounder Derek Battle mentioned that FlaveApp is on track to be an ally to the restaurant, hospitality, and food and beverage industry.
The co-founders say they return the photos to restaurants as marketing tools as they grow. They have a sizable group of early restaurant adopters in Baltimore
and D.C. The company will expand regionally and nationally in the upcoming months of 2023. The Narrative Matters!
References:
Bapcock, S. (August 11, 2021). With new funding and an app launched, Flave aims to support the Baltimore restaurant industry. With new funding and an app launched, Flave aims to support the Baltimore restaurant industry – Technical.ly
Greater Baltimore Committee-GBC (2023). For Entrepreneurs and Startups | Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore (gbc.org)
FlaveApp (2023). Flave https://flave.app/restaurants
FlaveApp (2023). https://flave.app/team
IphoneApp (2023).https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flave-app/id1485077249TikTok. (2023). Flave (@flaveapp) | TikTok
Senior Editor, Digital Manager, Blogger, has been nominated for awards several times as Publisher and Author over the years. Has been with company for almost three years and is a current native St. Louisan.