Trading security for innovation
Victoria Liu secured a full-time job 18 months before graduating from the Fisher School of Accounting and was set to become an audit staff member at an accounting firm in Miami.
That all changed when she attended a Florida football game.
Liu (BSAc ’19, MAcc ’19) wanted to get a snack and drink at the concession stand, but when she found it, the line stretched throughout the concourse area. She retreated to her seat instead of waiting over 15 minutes for her food. But her mind couldn’t shake the problem. How could lines possibly be that long and force people to miss that much of the game just to buy a snack?
She brainstormed for the rest of the game and the coming weeks, trying to come up with a solution to the problem. That’s where Byppo was born.
Liu was still working towards her Master of Accounting degree when she was thinking through the possibility of the company. Two months before graduating, she incorporated the business and made her final decision to begin the company and tell the Miami accounting firm that she wouldn’t be starting with them.
“It was a really difficult decision,” Liu said. “But I always think about how I can go back to that industry. My accounting degree will always be there. With Byppo, I can use my knowledge and experiences I have obtained from Fisher and apply it to my business. I’m using it in a different way than I expected, but I’m still utilizing what I learned.”
Byppo developed a web-based app for customers to use. When they’re in an stadium, restaurant or venue that supports the app, customers open it and click on what they want – whether it’s food or merchandise. They have three options from there – pick it up at the counter, have it delivered to their seat or preorder it. At restaurants, there’s a fourth option for table delivery. Customers also pay inside the app and can track their order throughout the process.
Today, the app is being used in multiple places in Gainesville. Cilantro Tacos is using it for customers to order their food. Gatorball Baseball Academy and The Rock School are both using it for their concessions, and Diamond Sports Park will begin using it soon. Byppo is also working with a soon-to-open restaurant in Boston and a dumplings restaurant in Miami.
“They’re all seeing an increase in sales,” said Liu, noting that Byppo plans to expand to new spaces and venues. “They noticed the problem – people aren’t standing in lines, and vendors are losing money because people don’t want to wait. We are working to fix that problem.”
Liu’s time at Fisher played an integral role in equipping her with the skills to turn Byppo into a reality.
“The accounting and marketing courses set a good foundation for me to succeed,” Liu said. “I apply it in everything I do. I remember things from classes and see it in real life now.”
She also hopes her story serves as inspiration to other students that an accounting degree can be used in many valuable ways in addition to employment in an accounting firm.
“I realized there were different avenues for accounting students,” Liu said. “Some people I know went to accounting firms and then feel locked in there. Then later, they can branch out to other fields using the skills they learned in college. I want to use my experience to show students you can pursue a different path and a less traditional route, but you’ll still be using your accounting skills.”
