Next Glass

Next Glass

Next Glass was founded in 2013 in Charlotte, North Carolina, by a group whose identity remains undisclosed. The firm's stated mission is to provide the global beverage industry with software, experiences, services, and commerce solutions, per its website. Its strategy centers on acquiring and building a suite of interconnected digital brands. The portfolio includes Untappd, a social platform with millions of users for rating and reviewing drinks; Ekos and Ollie, two beverage management software systems for production, inventory, and compliance; and BeerAdvocate, an online beer community dating to 1996. Next Glass also operates Oznr for producer-to-consumer eCommerce and offers business intelligence and advertising services (Untappd Insights and Untappd Marketing). The geographic footprint covers North America with global consumer reach via its platforms. The firm does not publicly disclose total professionals, AUM, or deployment figures. In early 2026, Next Glass launched PaySmart, a low-cost payment solution for the beverage industry, integrating its software suite further into producer operations. Adjacent vehicles include Hop Culture, a media brand celebrating craft community stories. Next Glass's structural differentiator is its vertical consolidation: it owns both the consumer social layer (Untappd, BeerAdvocate) and the business operating systems (Ekos, Ollie) within the same industry niche. This gives it a data advantage across the entire craft beverage value chain, from production to consumer engagement — a model distinct from horizontal SaaS or traditional family office investing.