Putting the fun in funding

We’ve put a bit of gas in the tank.

We set out to build Yes Plz as a different kind of company. Over the years both Sumi and I have watched and participated in some really dramatic changes in the coffee industry — and it sharpened our sense that there’s still more to do to champion great coffees, cut through the noise, and make it easier for people to get coffeebar-quality brews in their own kitchens.

The Yes Plz Weekly launched 6 months ago after a modest Kickstarter campaign and months of tinkering and retooling. We’re just getting started, but we’re really proud of it. A no-corners-cut curated release of the best coffees we can score, roasted fresh (and Sumi’s roasting has been extraordinary!) — shipped alongside an eclectic print `zine produced by our small team of caffeinated weirdos. A different yet delightful treat for your mailbox and your mug each week, fortnightly, monthly or whenever. Something warm in your mug to wake up your senses, and something cool on paper to awaken your spirit.

When I launched Tonx Coffee in 2011, the idea of building a roasting company that was exclusively direct to consumer was still a bit novel, and it inspired many other roasters to spin up subscriptions programs and bolster their support for home users. We learned so much, connected with so many people, and felt like we were part of a mini movement. It was a lot of fun… much of the time.

But it was also very much an Internet Startup in the typical mold. We had set ourselves up for venture scale success or bust. We were, by necessity and design, always looking toward the next round of fundraising. We measured the health of our business through the lens of how we’d be pitching it to future investors. We made product and hiring decisions that were as much or more about our future cap table than our day-to-day product. We paid our tithe to Google and Facebook, followed all the playbooks, rationalized a lot of big risk taking.

Ultimately we sold Tonx Coffee to the well-funded Blue Bottle — a genuine, if bittersweet success — perhaps sparing ourselves what would’ve been a moonshot goalpost move had we taken another large chunk of venture funding.

Fast forward to today’s news: Yes Plz is one of a small number of companies to join the v3 cohort of Indie.vc — a very different venture fund with an ethos we can get behind.

I’ve known Indie.vc’s Bryce Roberts since the very first day we pitched Tonx Coffee. Bryce — in spite of not being a coffee drinker, and not investing in Tonx Coffee — remained a reliable sounding board. I followed along as he launched the Indie.vc experiment and over the years sharpened the message and ethos of giving founders optionality, of not forcing every early stage company immediately onto the treadmill of growth-at-all-costs and endless future fundraising.

It’s a modest investment for us, but a really big honor. And it’s a very welcome opportunity for us to learn from other like-minded founders and allies who are working beyond the usual Silicon Valley playbook to build real businesses. We’re genuinely excited for the many things that lie ahead for Yes Plz as we get our legs under us. Stay tuned.

Oh! And if you haven’t tried us out — head over to yesplz.coffee and sign up to grab our next release… we think you’ll love it!