The IT Nerd

Somm has announced that it has entered into a new relationship with American Express Canada. Eligible Amex Cardmembers now can tap into Somm Cru or Grand Cru Memberships as an additional benefit available to them. 

This announcement captures a natural alignment between brands that deliver access to unique value and experiences.

Based in Toronto, Somm operates at the intersection of hospitality and technology. The free to download lifestyle app puts a sommelier in your pocket and offers premium benefits from top hospitality destinations.

From excellent wine recommendations to signature experiences at premium restaurants, hotels, winery and lifestyle partners, to reservations at the very best restaurants via DINR by Somm, Somm unlocks the world of taste. With an ultimate vision to own the category of taste, Somm is for every culinary curious and lifestyle-focused consumer who seeks enriched food, wine and lifestyle experiences at their fingertips.

Released in Fall 2021, Somm Cru and Grand Cru are redefining loyalty the way it was meant to be: personalized and convenient. Both Membership levels offer benefits like bubbly on the house at top restaurants, enhanced tastings at wineries, preferred pricing from lifestyle brands, signature experiences at boutique hotels, and events with world-class sommeliers and chefs. Somm Grand Cru Members also receive monthly wine deliveries with some of the best wines in the world. The Somm and American Express offering extends all Cardmembers a 12-month complimentary Somm Cru Membership and exclusive pricing on Somm Grand Cru at $99+tax per month. Somm Memberships are available for all Amex Consumer and Small Business Cardmembers in Canada.

Further strengthening Somm’s lifestyle and experiential footprint, the news of the American Express relationship comes just after Somm announced its acquisition of DINR, the mobile app that unlocks reservations at Canada’s best restaurants.

American Express Cardmembers can join Somm Cru or Grand Cru by downloading Somm and entering their Amex Card when selecting their Membership level. Visit www.somm.io/amex for more information.

Somm can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store. For more information on Somm visit www.somm.io, follow on Instagram at @somm.app or visit LinkedIn.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a strong test of the resilience of the hospitality and beverage alcohol sectors. 

As they continue to battle through the effects of the economic restrictions, the timing of the arrival of the innovative new app somm™ couldn’t be better. 

somm™ is the first of its kind B2B and B2C foodtech company that accurately automates food and beverage pairings for every situation, location and context. Starting with wine, the team is creating the world’s first intuitive virtual sommelier (thus the name somm™) for consumers, intuitive digital menus for hospitality partners and a logistics-free marketplace for everyone. 

Through AI and Machine Learning technology, somm^TM solves known, common problems for consumers and the hospitality industry alike. somm™ takes the guesswork out of wine – no matter where its users may be – at home, a restaurant or a store. Even the LCBO. It’s user experience is simple and seamless, and its partnerships across the hospitality sector are designed to be accretive and complementary. 

Conceived in summer 2020, with its Toronto launch in December, the company closed its Angel financing round last year and is now embarking on its first institutional venture capital raise. Since incorporating the company only six months ago, the group has swiftly moved to establish relationships with some of Toronto’s most well known hospitality players including Ascari Group, Distillery Group, Happy, Pearl Morissette, Cave Springs and Boxcar Social, among others.  

somm™ takes advantage of three main pillars in the market: i) hospitality’s catalytic embrace of technology, ii) an archaic regulatory framework that is ripe for disruption, with positive change already happening as a result of the pandemic, and  iii) shifts in consumer behaviour towards e-commerce and local discovery. 

The company is proudly founded by women, led by women and to date, has been largely financially backed by women. It’s a rare trifecta that makes  somm™ stand out — globally.  Chief Executive Jennifer, 32, has a capital markets background and is a former VP for the algorithmic trading team at TD Securities. She was the recipient of Canada’s Women in Capital Markets Emerging Leaders Award in 2016 and the New York-based Markets Media & Traders Magazine Rising Star Award in 2017.

Alongside Jennifer, the team includes technologists from some of Canada’s tech darlings like Shopify and Wealthsimple, as well as three esteemed hospitality professionals — a former GM of Alo, a Sommelier from Relais and Chateaux Property, Langdon Hall, and one of only five Master Sommeliers in the nation. 

An exciting future lies ahead for somm™ with downloads growing by the day and a national expansion plan in the books for the year ahead. 

somm™ is available across Canada on both Android and iOS. Learn more about somm™ at bethesomm.com; or join the somm™ social community on Instagram @bethesomm, Twitter @bethesomm or Facebook at /bethesomm. 

Based in Toronto, somm^™ is a tech company founded, led and majority invested in by women to revolutionize and democratize wine for everyone. somm^™ is the smarter way for you to pick wine, regardless of your knowledge, your location, budget, occasion or food options. No more staring blankly at restaurant wine menus, feeling anxious or overwhelmed by the world of wine, and no more aimless meandering around wine shops without really understanding what you’re doing and what you want. somm™ is all about simplifying wine, and making it more approachable, inclusive and accessible to everyone.

In 2014, SYNEK launched one of the most lucrative Kickstarter campaigns of all time for its countertop beer dispenser, coined “The Keurig for Craft Beer.” Now, the company has launched a new dispenser for wine called ‘Somm’ – the world’s first intelligent system that actually learns what wines you prefer, ships them direct to door, and pours them perfectly on your counter. SYNEK reached its $100K Kickstarter goal for Somm in the first 15 hours of the 30-day pre-order campaign, and sold out its “Early Adopter” pledge level in the first 3 days. This week, it has announced some big updates and key partnerships for rapid and immediate growth.

Within the first week of the campaign, Somm has garnered much attention and attracted several key partners for strategic growth. Tuesday, April 19th, 2016, SYNEK announced a partnership with JustWine, a mobile app for discovering and rating wines. JustWine is the largest wine content producer in the world with over a quarter-million members in its community. Further SYNEK announced its first partnership with a wine network, The Wine Tasting Network. WTN is the largest direct-to-door wine supplier with hundreds of thousands of members in its community. Last, SYNEK announced the first wave of winery partnerships. Twenty or more of the US’s finest and largest wineries will publicly announce their alignment with Somm by SYNEK (alongside the several hundred more who wish to remain private at this time). These massive partnerships will drastically accelerate Somm’s growth in the data, wine, and home-delivery arenas. In short, Somm by SYNEK guarantees you’ll love every glass.