For this week's #BLIB we met up with Vinay Raman, CEO of CAARMO, at World of Beer in Arlington, VA. CAARMO is leading the way in the connected car industry, which is part of the Internet of Things (IoT) that you keep hearing about. Vinay told me that by 2020 the connected car industry is projected to become a $119 billion industry and some 80 million vehicles are projected to be connected to the IoT. Vinay and the folks at CAARMO build trust and transparency in the auto care industry by empowering drivers through the use of their technology. Think of CAARMO as like a fitbit, but it's for your car instead of your body, and instead of the gadget telling you how many steps you've taken or how many calories you've burned, it tells you (and your mechanic) what's right and what's wrong with your automobile. CAARMO currently has 5 employees and is raising some funding from private investors and local governments.
The Bar:
World of Beer is a great setting for a #BLIB. While it's a chain bar that has locations all throughout the U.S., you rarely go wrong by offering your clientele over 500 beers to choose from. With that many beers, one might feel that there are just TOO many options at World of Beer. In short, World of Beer is not for your beginning beer drinker. Vinay had never been to World of Beer before, and when I arrived he already had one of their giant pretzels waiting at the table. I had been to this location several times before, and every time I arrive and leave dumbfounded by their beer selection. WoB's selection is comparable to what's offered at the Bier Baron Tavern in DC, minus the dark, 1960's basement feel that Bier Baron offers. The service at World of Beer was excellent, and we took the opportunity to drink some nice dark draft beers. Good stuff! Vinay lives in McLean and the Arlington World of Beer location was a short trip for him. Being in McLean, Vinay told me that his go-to bar is usually Cafe Deluxe because of the food, the atmosphere, and because he always runs into people he knows there. He told me "it's like my very own Cheers." Vinay also frequents Dogwood Tavern in Falls Church because of the atmosphere and ambiance there and he loves hanging out and drinking a few pints of Guinness out at Murphy's in Old Town Alexandria. Who doesn't?!?
The Beer:
Vinay started his night with a pint of Midnight Brewery's Not My Job (NR) and I selected a Founder's Porter (94). Midnight Brewery is a little brewery located in Rockville, Virginia; and Founder's is a much larger craft brewery located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Neither were super adventurous beers to match the variety of the location, but choosing the right beer at World of Beer can be hard. Vinay chose Not My Job because it reminded him of the brown ales and Irish/English beers he grew up drinking. He likes hartier, more bitter beer, and it's no wonder that he loves beers like Boddingtons (73) and Killians Irish Red (71). I didn't have the heart to tell Vinay that his favorite Euro-beers from the 80's and 90's were now being mass-produced by AB InBev and Coors (but I'm guessing he probably already knew that). Vinay told me that when he visited France in 1998 for the World Cup, he drank plenty of Leffe (81). That's getting a little more picky, but is it even possible to escape the AB InBev reach these days? Vinay also confided in me that his favorite beer is not a craft brew or a small batch ale, but rather a very basic lager from America's oldest brewery: Yeungling (77). I thought this was funny as I recently heard the same thing from another BLIB'er in the past.
The Business Leader:
Vinay started CAARMO because he's always been a closet gearhead. He told me bluntly that he should have been a mechanic, but because he's an Indian guy, his family made sure that he knew he was supposed to become a doctor or an engineer. Vinay decided to address those family expectations by founding an electronic medical records company in 1999. His business eventually got him to think about electronic records in general. "Why can't cars have electronic medical records?" Vinay would ask himself. And that's the idea that eventually sparked CAARMO. Right now, one of Vinay's biggest challenges is dealing with the uncertainty of the future. As an entrepreneur, that goes with the territory, but in talking to Vinay I noticed that he also seemed comfortable with uncertainty. He mentioned to me that "there are times when you don't know what you don't know, and I'm trying to do better at acknowledging and understanding that." Lots of self reflection and introspection here - something that's great for entrepreneurs and business leaders - especially with a cold beer in hand. When I asked Vinay what advice he had for other business leaders and entrepreneurs, he wants to tell them Be curious. Curiosity is the best tool that you'll ever have. Vinay likes to say that curiosity did not kill the cat, and in business you have to always be curious in order to keep moving forward.
A huge thanks to Vinay for drinking beers with us and for being a part of BLIB!
#BLIB is part of an ongoing series. For more information about Business Leaders in Bars Drinking Beers you can click here.
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