NFL's Jonathan Vilma tackles the bar scene with startup

Jonathan Vilma wants you to buy a drink ? from your smartphone. The New Orleans Saints linebacker is a partner in BarEye, a mobile startup that produces software for bar owners and their patrons.

BarEye began with a pilot program in Tallahassee, Florida, but is about to expand into the Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami markets (where Vilma himself is a bar owner).

The idea is that via the free to download Android and iOS BarEye app, customers can "check in" at participating bars and buy real drinks for themselves or, say, the attractive stranger across the room. In that way the BarEye app might serve as an icebreaker. No cash is exchanged when you order the drinks, since the user sets up an account ahead of time, kind of a running tab from the phone. You can tip through the app as well. And bar owner can offer specialty drink promotions through the app.

CEO Andrew Bennett, a co-founder of BarEye with Vilma and another executive, says that over the past year of testing in Tallahassee, BarEye signed up 17 bars. The app was downloaded 10,000 times and more than 6,000 drinks were purchased. "Bars recognize the ever-growing need to embrace varied social networks as a means to increase their audience, engage their consumers and stay relevant," Bennett says.

In trying to make a go at the business, the partners are pursuing a franchise model with would-be franchisees paying $2500 for exclusive access to a selected geographical area. Franchisees are meant to sell the BarEye platform to local watering holes and to troubleshoot any eventual problems. Revenues from the drinks purchased through the app are split between the franchisee, the bar and BarEye.

A screenshot of the app Bareye.(Photo: Bareye)

Though Vilma says he has discussed BarEye with friends around the league, he doesn't believe the celebrity status he brings as an NFL player will have much to do with BarEye's success or failure. "I feel like this product is so good, if we do it right and have the right infrastructure in place, it doesn't need star power or celebrity power."

The linebacker was suspended last season as part of the Saints' "Bountygate" scandal, a suspension that was subsequently "vacated." But while Vilma told USA TODAY that he wouldn't characterize the suspension as a "blessing in disguise," he did use his time away from the game "to understand my other ventures."

Meanwhile, Vilma says his experience as an NFL player is helping him in business. "The NFL is very structured (and) personally I like it that way. It's all about performance ? you either perform or you don't. In football you get fired or cut. In (business) you lose your money. Clearly I'm not trying to lose money."

With the return of training camp, Vilma is again tackling his day job, which he says takes about 95% of his time. But Vilma says he'll devote time to BarEye during football off days, and once the season is over, will "dive right back in."

Follow Ed Baig on Twitter: @edbaig.

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/usatoday-TechTopStories/~3/kQ9SJy6P3HU/

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