GRUB – Food for thought

This is why we need an app capable enough in delivering our satisfactory needs, and easy to use to help us save the time we yearn to spend wisely.

A group of young student-entrepreneurs at the De La Salle University has come up with a solution, meet Grub.

What is Grub’s goal?

The goal is simple, we have entered a new era. Smartphones and other handheld devices have transformed consumer behavior. There is a 300% market penetration rate for smartphone users in the Philippines, signaling a shift towards mobile, cloud-based and cross platform web applications.

Convenience is an issue that could be addressed easily using this technology. No one wants to miss out on a scene in a movie that they paid good money for, and if you’re running late for a movie and the queue for popcorn is pretty long, you wouldn’t want to stand in line and miss the first few scenes of this flick that they’ve been waiting months for!

App Features:

1. Location – The user’s location is automatically detected using geo-fencing, the same technology that FourSquare uses. Apart from detecting which cinema the user is in, with geo-fencing, push notifications related to promotions, discounts and freebies also pop up from time to time.

2. Food – GRUB users aren’t limited to just ordering popcorn and softdrinks, they are able to choose from a wide variety of food from partner restaurants within the vicinity. You don’t have to settle for popcorn anymore, you can order from your favorite establishments from the comfort of your seat and have them delivered to you! There is also an advanced ordering feature.

3. Promotions – The restaurant/concession display on the menu will use your location to display the available restaurants. Adaptive analytics algorithms also allow for the application to display or suggest food that you’re most likely to try based on your past transactions. Promos such as discounts or freebies are also highlighted on the main menu.

4. Go Cashless! – The user may opt to use their credit/debit card or a digital wallet account.

Vission and Mission

GRUB hopes to be able to provide convenience to its users, committed to providing its services to the whole country and overseas in the future. Catered for movie goers, the app aims to assist cinema management in providing the utmost customer satisfaction.

The GRUB application aims to expand its reach to markets such as concerts, games and the like after its launch.

The GRUB team is composed of diverse individuals, focusing on different areas and specializing in different fields in the industry. They are 3rd-year University students that came together to pitch their idea during Startup Weekend QC @ ADMU – A 3-day intensive competition that allows aspiring entrepreneurs to experience creating business models for their ideas. As soon as the event ended, they decided to turn their vision into a reality by going into intensive research and market validation.

Russ Malangen

Russ is both the CEO and CTO of Grub. He is taking up Manufacturing Engineering and Management with Specializations in Robotics and Mechatronics and currently runs his own separate technology-based startup focused on electronics and robotics called LX Innovative Solutions. He is also a Student Ambassador of Virtual Reality Philippines and is the Director for the MakerSpace Innovation Hub at De La Salle University, a community focused on creating projects that could be used for the benefit of the society.

Dan Arambulo

Dan is the COO, taking care of day-to-day and strategic operations on the business side. He is taking up Entrepreneurship and is spearheading an all-in-one business solution for SME’s as the CEO of his company, the Verano Intelligence Group, and is the operations manager for Fantastic Seven Enterprises. Dan also Co-Founded Millenials Guide, an underground social media network that aims to stimulate Filipino thought so that filipinos themselves could come up with their own thought products and to create a generation of nationalistic millenials.

Gab Melendres

Gab is a Marketing major. He is in charge of coming up with everything that makes the application unique, aesthetic, user-friendly and appealing to users. Gab also serves as the head of product design at LX Innovative Solutions and is in the process of coming up with his own fashion-based startup.

Davy is an Industrial Design student at the De La Salle – College of St. Benilde. He is in charge of the application and mobile UI design. He is adept at using different types of 3D modeling softwares, such as AutoCAD, 3DSMax, SolidWorks and graphic design-based programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Davy is also the head of UI design for Dan’s company, the Verano Intelligence Group.