Ani Reddy of Bottlecapps

March 18, 2020 thetechtribune

An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Ani Reddy, the co-founder, president, and CTO of Bottlecapps, which was honored in our:

Tell us the origin story of Bottlecapps- what problem were you trying to solve and why?

The idea for Bottlecapps started in a small café in Irving. The founders were unable to find any app or website that could help them discover the location and price of a particular bottle of whiskey. This gave us an idea to build an app that could do that. This eventually evolved to a much bigger idea and today we not only have an app and website products that can do that (Bottlerover.com), but we also help liquor stores have their own e-commerce app and website. Today, we help liquor stores and liquor brands market their products online and in store.

What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?

When we originally launched this, liquor stores were not very tech savvy. We found that most of the stores were family owned business and were way behind the technology curve. It took us a lot of time to educate the stores so they could see the value of having an e-commerce store that would bring them additional business. Also, with the advent of other delivery apps like DoorDash and Grubhub, the stores started to realize that they were missing out on a key market space. They now see that their customers want the convenience of shopping online and delivery/pick up.

What does the future hold for Bottlecapps?

We will continue to invest our time into value-added services that cater to liquor stores and brands. We have added more products to our portfolio like digital signage (BottleVision), social media marketing (BottleService), wholesale commerce apps, and customized apps and websites for new liquor brands. We have recently launched an app for Spec’s Wine & Liquor which has over 180 stores in Texas. We are now in 43 states and 3 countries and growing rapidly. We are constantly working on adding more features in the app to help both the store and the customers have a great experience.

What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Irving?

I think we made a great decision when we picked Irving as our headquarters. Irving is so central to the DFW area, and it helps that there is a lot of talent available around us. We are seeing a lot of new startups coming up in this area, as well as a lot of big companies shifting their base to Irving.

What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Coming up with an idea is easy but it takes a lot of time, effort, and commitment to make it into a reality. So be prepared to grind it out. It is hard to do it alone, so make sure to pick the right partners who can add value to the business and have the same commitment as you do to make it a success. Bottlecapps is a triumph because of the excellent team behind it, including our CEO, founders, partners and the amazing employees who also have ownership in the business.