Nectar launches ultrasound-equipped pour spouts to save bar owners money

Restaurants depend on the sale of alcoholic beverages for 60 percent of their revenue. This means that knowing what happens to liquor after it’s put on the shelf behind the bar is critically important to bar owners. Today, connected-device startup Nectar is launching a pour spout and stopper equipped with ultrasound technology to give bar owners eyes on this valuable inventory.

To bar patrons, Nectar’s pourers and stoppers look exactly like every other pourer and stopper on the market. But underneath their black plastic enclosure lies an ultrasound sensor that can instantly capture bottle shape and liquid depth to compute the amount of alcohol that has been consumed from a given bottle.

The data produced from a collection of bottles is then aggregated within Nectar’s inventory management software. The platform makes it easy to track consumption and reorder popular bottles with the touch of a button.

While Nectar is a tech startup, it has more in common with measurement companies like Nielsen than one might think. At scale, insights generated from bars across the country could help to inform the decisions that advertisers and distilleries make about what should be produced for where.

Nectar previously announced a $4.55 million funding round from Joe Lonsdale and Lior Susan. Both Lonsdale and Susan invested outside of their respective funds, 8VC and Eclipse Ventures, alongside Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and a number of angels with connections to the hospitality industry.

The company is accepting preorders for its pourers and stoppers, though they’re not expected to be available immediately. Instead of paying for the sensors upfront, Nectar is charging bars on a subscription basis. Monthly fees will start at $299 and increase for larger bars.