Wilmington startup Next Glass adds former Opendoor exec to C-suite

WILMINGTON — Beverage software tech firm Next Glass has tapped a former Opendoor and Uber exec Kevin Burke as its new executive vice president of operations.

Prior to joining the Wilmington-based startup, Burke served as the senior manager of Airport Strategy & Growth in the United States and Canada for Uber and most recently the general manager at Opendoor in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Launched in 2013, Next Glass delivers personalized beer and wine recommendations to consumers and merchants. Next Glass is the parent of Untappd, which also is based in Wilmington. It also has offices in Durham and Charlotte.

Kevin Burke, Source: LinkedIn

In his new role, Burke will lead operations at Untappd, including the company’s Untappd for Business SaaS teams (Sales, Support, Success and Enterprise) as well as the Untappd Marketplace expansion team. He will leverage existing technologies in the Untappd for Business product suite, like digital menus, QR codes, and website menu technology, to allow the company’s global customer base to connect more safely with customers in the COVID environment, per the company’s release.

“The alcohol and food service market is underserved from a technology standpoint, and I am excited to join the Next Glass team and lead growth in adoption of our existing technology and future products,” Burke said in a statement. “I can’t wait to help push this company forward by scaling both geographically, as well as in terms of the products and services we offer.”

In March, Kurt Taylor, the founder of Next Glass, has left his role as the firm’s top executive after private equity firm – Providence Strategic Growth which is part of Providence Equity Partners – made an investment in the company described as a “significant growth investment.”

Trace Smith, the chief operating officer, was promoted to CEO.