Last semester in an entrepreneurial management course, UW-Madison students Michael Braun and Chad Gaffney aced their assignment to create an entrepreneurship project that eventually turned into an actual startup.
The partners designed what is known around campus today as UWonTap, a Snapchat profile where “friends” can see local deals for Madison’s bar scene. On the average weeknight the profile posts 10 to 15 specials from local bars to its story. HopCat, Vintage and Wando’s make consistent appearances on the page.
The idea is to make specials readily available for consumers without the hassle of having to download an app or physically visit the bars, according to Braun. After a semester of existence, UWonTap averages 2,000 views a night.
“It’s just overall very useful to people but this is the easiest way to get the information,” Braun said about the account. “It’s one way to see 10 different places with the information they need to see.”
The partners are looking to expand the app and reach 50 to 100 new campuses in the spring, according to Braun. The plan is to reach out to cities like Madison with a college scene where students have an interest in staying near campus and drinking at local bars.
“If it gets to the point that we’re generating enough traffic that it makes sense to switch over to a new platform we’d consider it, but right now we aren’t trying to fix what isn’t broken,” Braun said about keeping Snapchat as their primary platform.
