This Rocket Internet-backed coffee startup plans to conquer Asia

When Flash Coffee opened its first outlet in Jakarta in January 2020, it sold over 800 cups of coffee on its first day, far exceeding co-founder David Brunier’s expectations.

After the successful launch, Brunier quickly set his sights on other Asian countries, beginning with establishing branches in Singapore and Bangkok. However, just as he kicked off the expansion plans, the world was hit by the Covid-19 crisis, and brick-and-mortar businesses like Flash Coffee saw their operations grind to a screeching halt.

On this episode of Startup Snapshot, Brunier shares how he built Flash Coffee with co-founder Sebastian Hannecker, the early successes of the business, and the struggles of running a coffee chain amid a pandemic.

Timecodes:

00:00 – The story starts with an email
00:30 – A meeting over a cup of coffee
01:13 – The unexpected pandemic
02:07 – This is the story of David Brunier
02:40 – Early entrepreneurial success
03:40 – Getting a call from Rocket Internet CEO Oliver Samwer
04:51 – Looking for a co-founder
07:33 – A startup love story
11:15 – The first outlet’s successful launch
12:51 – Dreams of an Asian expansion
14:58 – Not a winner-takes-all industry
16:06 – The challenges of expanding a food and beverage business
18:46 – Building an all-star team
20:23 – A question of survival
21:38 – Preview of the next episode

Download the full transcript here.

Featured people:

• David Brunier, co-founder and CEO of Flash Coffee
• Sebastian Hannecker, co-founder, chief operations officer, and chief financial officer of Flash Coffee
• Andrew Ive, founder and general managing partner of Big Idea Ventures