Episode 46: Blue Bottle Coffee

Today our heroes cover a deal that might have more impact on life
in Silicon Valley than AI, wearables and AR/VR combined… Nestle’s
acquisition of Blue Bottle Coffee. Will hipster entrepreneurs and
the VCs who love/need them continue to line up around the block
for their minimalist coffee experience of choice, now that it’s
owned by the Nesquik Bunny? Is this the beginning of Blue Bottle
pod machines filling the empty counter space left by Juicero’s
demise in VC offices throughout South Park? We investigate.


Sponsors:


WorkOS: https://bit.ly/workos25

Sierra: https://bit.ly/acquiredsierra

Sentry: https://bit.ly/acquiredsentry

Anthropic: https://bit.ly/acquiredclaude25






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Topics Covered Include:


The rise of “Third Wave” coffee

Blue Bottle founder James Freeman’s “classical” (music)
influences 

Venture capital and the coffee business 

Achieving liquidity when companies and founders’ don’t want
to go public, and don’t want to sell their stakes 

Nestle’s position in single-serve coffee market and potential
brand impact of Blue Bottle 



The Carve Out:


 Ben: There Never Was a Real Tulip Fever

David: iPhone SE