Cups (app)

Cups (stylized as CUPS) was a mobile app launched in New York City in April 2014. It was a mobile payment and discovery platform for independent coffee shops. The app was active in more than 400 cafes in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Nashville, the Twin Cities, and other U.S. cities.[1] Customers used the app to find independent coffee shops in their area.[2]

History

Cups was founded in Israel in 2012 by Gilad Rotem and four other co-founders, who were all high school friends.[3][4] The company ran a limited beta pilot in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem featuring 80 locations from September 2012 until September 2014.[2][5] Customers received all-you-can-drink coffee at certain coffee shops in Tel Aviv for approximately $45 a month.[5][6][7] In October 2013, the founders relocated to New York. Cups participated in the Entrepreneur's Roundtable Accelerator program and went live in New York in 2014, initially working with 50 small coffee shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn.[7]

In early 2016, the company began expanding in the United States, launching 30 locations in Philadelphia in February,[8] followed by 40 more locations in San Francisco in March.[9]

Functionality

The Cups app gave the user a list of the nearest participating coffee shops to their current location. The app user would visit the store, order a drink using the app, and pay the cashier with their phone rather than cash or a credit card. The cashier would enter a code that entered the purchase into the app's system.[4] The app also allowed for onboard tipping and food purchases. The company reimbursed the coffee shop and kept a portion of their sales.[7]

In early 2016, the Cups Café Network was launched, using bulk purchasing power to land discounts with service providers which would normally be reserved for larger chains. In this way, the company aimed to help its café partners compete with the larger coffee chains.[10]

References
  1. CUPS. "CUPS Locations". CUPS App. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  2. Melouney, Carmel (2014-04-10). "Would You Pay $85 a Month for Unlimited Espresso?". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  3. Griswold, Alison. "Cups: A Coffee Startup Taking on Starbucks". Inc.
  4. Konrad, Alex. "Five Startups To Watch From ERA's Winter Demo Day, From Coffee To Cabs". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  5. Ungerleider, Neal (2013-05-06). "Cups: The App For Coffee Addicts". Fast Company.
  6. Yarow, Jay. "There's a new app called CUPS that lets". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  7. Tabuchi, Hiroko (2014-06-30). "Modern Tools for Mom-and-Pops". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  8. Alderfer, Kelly (2016-01-25). "CUPS App Launching in Philadelphia". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  9. "CUPS app keeps the coffee flowing with Bay Area expansion". SiliconBeat. 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
  10. Ha, Anthony (9 July 2015). "Cups Offers Prepaid And Subscription Plans For NYC's Independent Coffee Shops". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
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