Somm & DINR
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
Some sections are still being researched1 / 4
Sections to complete：02
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
BeTheSomm Inc. (Somm), based in Toronto, ran the Somm lifestyle app — 'a sommelier in your pocket' — with wine recommendations, food-and-wine pairing tools and Cru/Grand Cru memberships unlocking experiences at restaurants, hotels and wineries. In March 2022 it acquired DINR Inc., a last-minute restaurant-reservation app (founders Kyle Nares and Bryan Mahoney) operating in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, and later partnered with American Express Canada. Somm raised about $2 million CAD in an oversubscribed round in June 2021.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- App launch
Somm app launches on Google Play (November 2020).
- Funding
Somm closes a $2M CAD oversubscribed financing round; launches Cru and Grand Cru memberships.
- Acquisition
On March 10, 2022 Somm completes the acquisition of DINR Inc., the Canadian last-minute reservation platform; announces American Express Canada partnership.
- Shutdown
Somm's final app update (Aug 27, 2026) replaces the landing screen with a service-shutdown message; the app is removed from Google Play on Aug 31, 2026.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN
How the factors connect
- 01
2021: $2M CAD financing; Cru/Grand Cru memberships launched.
- 02
Mar 2022: acquired DINR Inc.; Amex Canada partnership.
- 03
Aug 2026: service-shutdown message; app removed from Google Play.
- 04
No reliable company-level loss figure disclosed.