founder interview – Joshua Scott

 

Founder contact info:

joshua@consultjoshua.com, joshua@fresh.coffee

520-241-9715

Skype: joshua.j.scott

 

Founder interview:

 

• What is your elevator pitch of startup (super quick summary)?

• Coffee subscriptions tend to give too much or too little coffee. They don’t take consumption variation. Our smart coffee bean jar ensures you always get coffee delivered just when you need it with reminders, confirmation requests, and notifications.

• Why should anyone use our product?

• To ensure they don’t have a day where they run out of coffee or they let their coffee go stale. Running out is an especially difficult challenge for SMBs where there is no office manager as worker productivity decreases. For consumers, the convenience and peace of mind from the product drives the value proposition.

• What’s your personal story and startup story?

 

1. I’ve always been interested in the IoT. I was researching coffee subscriptions such as Tonx and Mistobox (which also came out of Tucson), but had friends who had abandoned their subscriptions and didn’t recommend. I thought there must be a way to ensure you don’t get your subscription delivery until you need it. I came up with the solution and suggested it to many folks, who really liked the idea. I began developing the concept and finally left my job to pursue for a time with the goal of launching a crowd-funding campaign.

 

• How can SSG community and others help you and your startup?

 

1. I could definitely use the insight and wisdom of the community. I also will be seeking investment for the concept if any investors in the community happen to be interested.

 

• What are your top priorities?

 

1. Fundraising
   1. I’m seeking seed funding, but have numerous challenges to secure it
2. Continued / amplified marketing to build a user list
   1. I have a number of marketing firms I have quotes from, but the challenge is funding them
3. Building and testing additional prototypes
   1. I have one prototype that is relatively low fidelity, but I’m working on more
4. Launching a crowd-funding campaign (after checking the marketing boxes)
   1. I need a few thousand people at a minimum to launch a campaign

 

• What kind of timeline are you working with now (projects for next month, 3-6 months, year?

 

1. Everything is dependent upon the fundraising, then marketing to get a large enough lead list, and finally launching the crowd-funding is the final lynchpin.
2. I expect the campaign to launch in 3-6 months

 

• Do you see competitors in this space now? Who are your top competitors and why?

 

1. Blue Bottle, Starbucks, and many other coffee companies are offering subscriptions, which is the primary competition

 

• Why are you and your founding team the ones to deliver this product to the world?

 

1. I have passionate, talented, and driven. I have a broad skill set from my product management background and technical training. I am skilled at building fantastic customer experiences.
2. I am currently seeking cofounders to complement my skill set and amplify. I would like to bring a full stack development resource onboard as well as a marketing resource. Operations and logistics management would also be interesting at a future date.

 

• If outside Silicon Valley, what is the startup climate (is the govt business friendly, providing support, etc?)

 

1. Tucson has a small, but active startup community. There are resources here, such as the Tucson Desert Angels, though not enough to really have a great base. I’ve reached out to folks everywhere to get additional assistance. I am open to moving once at the right point, potentially to Phoenix, SF, or Denver, depending upon the circumstances, to get access to a wider talent pool.

 

• How many users have you talked to?

 

1. About 20 interviews so far. I have an engaged base of users with a 3-5% conversion rate on my landing page (just for sign ups).

 

• What have you learned from talking to users? (asked by @yangterrence)

 

1. They generally love the idea primarily for the convenience and /or flexibility. They are under 40 and have a strong affinity for coffee. Their tastes vary from from craft to off-the-shelf, but they are not into Folgers or Maxwell House. They really like the design of the container and want it to be something displayed on their counter. Overall, they’re

 

• Do you have any co-founders? How well do you know them?

 

1. I don’t at this time. Tucson is a very small market, so difficult to find a team. I’m on Founder Dating and working with a few potential candidates.