With Milwaukee being such a large, diverse, up-and-coming city it seems as though there is a restaurant, bar or coffee shop popping up every day. A new app created by recent UWM alumni aims to help smooth the exploration process of the city and showcase what Milwaukee really does have to offer.
Creator and CEO of Sugr, Ruben Flores, sees his app as a way to empower “glocalization.” The app that launched in October 2016, focuses on the aspect of connecting people with each other through exploring any given day of the city.
“We really want to change the publishing and marketing industry to be more local,” said Flores. “Our job is to redefine and show off the culture and why Milwaukee is a city worth living in.”
Sugr technically focuses on three aspects of the city: sites, deals and events but what the creators really want users to get out of it, is the experience. For starters, the app works as a distributor in the fact that it showcases photos, ads, articles, videos and other guides based on Milwaukee’s all around scene. Secondly, the app partners with other companies to act as a platform for ticket servicing for local events. Lastly, the app works similar to Yelp! And Groupon, using data specifically pertaining to Milwaukee to introduce users to deals at local businesses.
“It is not necessarily the deals that our team is looking for, but more so the different experiences you will gain from going to each location,” said Flores.
Flores and other team members are Milwaukee locals, which helps in their process of finding and suggesting places and events for users to seek out.
Sugr team member, Edgar Sabino, says the goal of the app is to give you an actual thing to do in your city. Something that is not necessarily mainstream fed but is more so catered to how you feel or the mood of the city on any given day.
“Essentially that is how we help the campus community,” said Sabino. “We connect with the city.”
When you open the Sugr app, a colorful, flashing gummy bear appears, which happens to be the company’s mascot. From there you see a directory of events specific to current happenings that you may be interested in or specific regions of the city you may be looking for. Swipe right, and select one out of 20+ categories such as “college bars,” “happy hour,” “vegetarian,” “wings,” and more. You will then be led to a spin wheel of different restaurants, clubs, bars, etc. that fit the category of your choosing. When you come to a decision, the app will then provide you with deals for every day of the week at that location.
The app also offers an unorthodox like search engine feature. Let’s say you find a destination you are interested in. Sugr allows you to scroll down to view their website, Facebook and even allows you to view Uber prices from your current location to that destination. From there you will be connected to the Uber app if you choose to call an Uber to that location.
In the social aspect of things, Sugr can be related to a Snapchat centric experience. You are able to create your own profile, add friends, suggest places to your friends and even check in and post photos at the locations you find enjoyable for others to see.
Flores likes to relate Sugr to a candy platter.
“It (the city) is all these pieces of candy in front of you. Have as much as you want, I’m not here to limit you, I’m just here to showcase it. Eat as much as you want and leave what you don’t like to the ones who might,” said Flores.
Flores perceives millennials to be the apps target audience. He hopes Sugr can eventually expand strategically to cities such as Madison, Minneapolis and Chicago with a team of journalists and video creators.