Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Faster pints at major events a step closer after Aberdeen firm’s £670,000 crowdfunder

Drink dispensing technology developed in Aberdeen  could revolutionise sports stadium catering.
Drink dispensing technology developed in Aberdeen could revolutionise sports stadium catering.

The Aberdeen-based entrepreneurs behind revolutionary new technology aimed at speeding up the time it takes to grab a beer at major events are ready to accelerate its roll-out to the market after a £670,000 crowdfunding drive.

It is the latest of a series of fundraising exercises for EBar Initiatives, which was launched by managing director Sam Pettipher and Nick Beeson, both former Robert Gordon University (RGU) students, in late 2016.

The duo aim to dramatically improve the consumer experience at music and sports events, using innovative dispensing technology to reduce the time people spend waiting in bar queues.

Our hygienic, contactless, self-service EBars are a 21st-Century solution for operators who are looking to new technology to increase revenue, address staffing shortages, reduce costs, and most importantly improve the customer experience.”

Nick Beeson, EBar Initiatives

A combination of EBar’s patented dispenser and rapid payment technologies allows beer or soft drinks to reach customers in less than 30 seconds, meaning people attending major events will no longer have to choose between missing out on some of the action and quenching their thirst.

Mr Pettipher and Mr Beeson, managing director and commercial director respectively, worked in the renewable-energy and oilfield services industries respectively before honing their business skills in postgraduate studies at RGU.

Ebar
Artist’s impression of EBar kiosks at a music gig.

Their idea for faster drinks – further developed during a business accelerator programme run by Aberdeen-based Elevator, won them a gong and £75,000 at the Scottish Edge awards in 2017.

That cash boost was followed a year later by a £228,000 injection of equity investment led by London-based Jenson Funding Partners’ SEIS and EIS Fund, with the likes of angel investor groups Gabriel and Equity Gap among those backing the business.

In early 2019, with EBar having successfully trialled its speedy, automated, self-service drink kiosks at a string of high-profile events at venues including P&J Live, in Aberdeen, Old Trafford, in Manchester, and Twickenham, in London, the firm launched a crowdfunding campaign to help it refine its innovative technology and build more units.

EBar’s innovative drink dispensers.

The £670,000 equity fundraiser was led by crowdfunding platform Seedrs, which boasts Scots tennis star Sir Andy Murray among its investors, and Irish events entrepreneur Robert O’Dowd.

Mr Pettipher – who got the dispenser idea after missing a match-winning try at a rugby game in 2016, because he was stuck in a bar queue – said accelerated digitalisation and automation of many day-to-day services, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, made EBar’s mission to change the way drinks are served, more relevant than ever before.”

l-r EBar Initiatives commercial director Nick Beeson, product development engineer Kyle O’Callaghan and managing director Sam Pettipher.

Mr Beeson added: “We see every day how customers are opting for digital and more streamlined experiences, across many of their day-to-day activities, and how they choose to get their drinks at events or in large venues is no different.

“Our hygienic, contactless, self-service EBars are a 21st-Century solution for operators who are looking to new technology to increase revenue, address staffing shortages, reduce costs, and most importantly improve the customer experience.”

New director joining the team

Mr O’Dowd, who is joining EBar’s board as a non-executive director, said “With over 30 years in the events and hospitality industry, managing and attending all types of large-scale sporting occasions, festivals, and events, I have experienced, along with everyone else, the customer service issues that EBar now solves.

“I look forward to working with the team as we expand EBar’s operations in the UK, Europe and globally.”


Business support organisation Elevator seeks former aerospace workers

Crowdfunding appeal by north gold prospectors