Finding a good beer in Prague is rarely a difficult task. Finding the right pub, knowing what a pint costs and deciding where to go next is a different question.
For Paulo Dias, that challenge became the idea behind Pintz, a web app built to help people navigate Prague’s rich beer scene.
Originally from Portugal, Paulo has spent almost 15 years living abroad, moving between Slovakia and the UK before eventually taking a job in the Czech Republic.
Sign Up for our Newsletter
Prague news, events, tips, food & more
He first arrived in the Czech Republic in 2021, spending several months in Opava before moving to Prague in February 2022. Even after the move, he was cautious about settling in. “When I moved to Prague, I wasn’t buying many things for my apartment, because if I moved again, I’d have to pack everything,” Paulo recalls.
That changed once his new job became more stable. By the end of the year, he was already thinking about staying.
I think the quality of life in Prague is quite amazing. It’s one of the best, if not the best, of the cities I know. I feel good here, I feel at home. That’s why I decided to stay.”
Prague’s pub culture
Prague’s pub culture became one of the ways Paulo built a social life after moving to the city. He started with local pubs in Žižkov.
“I started to make friends there, and then I thought it was a good opportunity for me to become more social.”
What struck him was how different the culture was from Portugal. He describes drinking there as more centered around wine, home gatherings, watching football with friends or celebrating birthdays, rather than regularly meeting at pubs during the week.
“I know people who meet every Monday. It’s impossible in Portugal, this mindset. People just stay at home or go for a coffee after dinner. There’s no culture like going to a pub.”
In Prague, meeting for a beer could instead become part of an ordinary weekday. That was something Paulo gradually came to appreciate about his new home.
“I don’t need to wait for the weekend to have my social life active.”
From sneaker prices to Pintz
The idea for Pintz grew out of a sneaker-price platform “The Real Sneaker Index” Paulo had been working on in his spare time. The two projects are quite different, but the first gave him a way of thinking about how prices could be collected and compared.
The connection to beer came almost as an afterthought. Paulo was already spending time in Prague’s pubs, and the idea eventually brought his side project closer to something he was experiencing himself.
“I was thinking, maybe I could apply the same idea to something more connected to everyday life. And then I thought, why not use it to track beer prices?”
What started as a price tracker gradually expanded into a way of exploring pubs. Users can now add information about individual places, from terraces and beer gardens to the beers they serve, while ratings give people a way to share their own experiences. “It’s not only about finding the cheapest beer. It started that way, but it’s really about quality.”
Pintz is now present in the US, Mexico, Atlantic Islands and across many countries in Europe.
Building it alone with AI
Paulo has been building Pintz alongside his Lead AI Platforms job, developing the platform himself with the help of AI. He works on it in the evenings, at weekends and whenever he can find the time.
“I’m not a coder, I’m not a developer, but I know what I want to do.”
AI has allowed him to take those ideas further without having to build every part of the platform from scratch himself. He sets up processes, monitors how they work and keeps adding and improving features as the project develops.
The speed at which he can turn an idea into something functional has been one of the biggest surprises for him.
“What impressed me the most is the capability of building anything with AI, especially digital products.”
What’s next for Pintz?
For now, his focus is on getting more people to use Pintz and bringing more pubs, breweries and beer brands onto the platform. He is also looking at sponsorships and other ways of turning the project into a sustainable business.
At the same time, he is conscious of how easily monetisation could get in the way of the experience he is trying to create. He does not want users to feel like they are constantly being sold something while using the app.
“I don’t want this to become an advertising app that people are annoyed to use.”
Promote your business to thousands of expats in Prague Find out how.
The post Meet Paulo Dias, the Expat Behind Prague’s Pintz Beer App appeared first on Prague Morning.