Sara Vieira is the founder of the Bondi Bubble App for Bondi Beach in Australia. The Bondi Bubble App has become a favourite of locals and visitors to Bondi's beaches and is easy to see why with it's inside scoop of all things Bondi!

Living in Bondi Beach for the past 4 years, Sara hasn't always been in the bubble. Originally born in Brazil and growing up in the USA, she's had the chance to work with some great brands along the way including; ABC, CBS, Disney, DreamWorks, FOX Sports, NBC Universal and SONY Pictures - even being nominated for an Interactive Emmy award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media.

Sara is also a talented Taekwondo athlete, having won four times state and two times Taekwondo National Champion in USA, and was fortunate enough to qualify for the Junior Olympic Team and train at the OTC (Olympic Training Center) in Colorado Springs.

We find out why she made the move to the Bondi shores...

Why Bondi? 

It was after 3 years of being in London, my best friend and I moved to Los Angeles, California. LA was awesome! I still go back every year! Most of my friends still live there. I had a lot of Aussie friends In Los Angeles and they would tell me about Australia. It sounded like a magical place but so far away! I saw a National Geographic video called “Bondi, the hottest beach on the planet!” It had dolphins, the Bondi Rescue lifeguards, and hot people everywhere! I booked my ticket and never looked back! I’ve always been a city girl until I moved here. There’s something very special about Bondi…It was love at first sight.

How did the idea of The Bondi Bubble come about? Was it during an afternoon on the Grassy Knoll?

Haha, I love the Grassy Knoll but the inspiration behind Bondi Bubble came from an acute case of homesickness when I was back living in Los Angeles and missing the Bondi lifestyle.

In 2014, I was in LA and scored a major gig. The plan was to stay, (but) I missed Bondi every day...the beach, the people, the dolphins, the parties and the sunrises! I wished there was an app where I could find out everything that was happening in Bondi with a touch of the button. So the idea was born!

 

How did you go from the idea phase to action?

My background is UX designer and I build apps for a living so it was easy for me to create Bondi Bubble app. I love Bondi and technology… it was a match made in heaven! 

I had the Bondi Bubble idea and designs done for two years but it wasn’t until 2016 that I decided to just do it and put into action. I told my co-worker about the app and he loved it! He got me inspired again. I was working full time in the city and I would work on the app in any free time I had, sometimes until the early hours. 

Fast-forward to December 2015 and the Bondi Bubble App made its debut. I had friends using the app and testing for the first 3 months. On 14 April 2016, We had our official Launch party at the Bavarian Bier Café and Penthouse after party. It was a huge success! We had over 500 downloads that night and all the legends in Bondi came to the party!

How would you like to see the community and newcomers to Bondi benefit from it? 

Bondi Bubble helps Bondi people and local businesses connect with other locals and visitors. The app brings people together from all backgrounds and cultures, allowing them to discover everything that's unique about Bondi. It’s a great way for everyone to keep up with Bondi's busy business and social scene saving them time while simultaneously creating opportunities for businesses to target the right customers to help increase sales, cross promote with other businesses. We also aim to build brand awareness and reward the locals.

We’ve designed it to be a one stop shop for all things people need in Bondi - events, shopping, dining, drinking, latest news, travel tips, accommodation, deals, live surf cam, videos, photos, a noticeboard and more!

 

We hear you’re good at throwing a party! What’s coming up and how do we get involved?

Yes, we’re planning to bring together all the amazing people in Bondi. It's a night for cocktails, arts, fashion, great food, and to socialise and meet other creative people in Bondi. “Break the Ice” event is coming soon…

I love connecting my friends so I've added a new feature in the Bubble App; every month, I’ll be introducing the Bondi hotties. We want to give people the chance to 'break the ice' through our app. Our idea is ‘If you like what you see just send us a message or tag a friend and we'll help break the ice for you!'. 

 

Any plans to expand from Bondi to L.A?

Yes, we would love to expand the bubble to other cities and countries. We are chatting with a few investors right now.

What’s in store for the Bubble this Summer?
We are adding new features in the app and collaborating with other business to launch 'Bondi Bubble Swimwear' to help promote the app next summer and 'Bondi Bubbly' to keep celebrating life!

I want to add a section called 'legends" for all the awesome artists, musician, bloggers, photographers, entrepreneurs, etc. as there are so many inspiring people in Bondi.

In Bondi, where do you go for:

Food? ? I love the Protein breakfast at Speedos Cafe! Macellaria Burgers are delicious and you can't beat a Sunday roast at Anchor Bar. 

Coffee? I only drink Red Bull but I love the Acai bowls from Vida Surf Store.

Drinks? Two of my favorite places in Bondi - I love bubbles at Icebergs, or spending the Sunday afternoon with friends at the Bucket List, watching the sunset and dancing to Sneaky Sound System. 

 

 For more updates on the Bondi Bubble and to keep in the loop, head to bondibubbleapp.com.au

Or follow at:

@bondibubble

Bondi Bubble