Startup Sense Podcast

The Philz Coffee story is a very unusual one. The original Philz location was owned and operated by Phil Jaber as a grocery store but after years of making the most amazing coffee for customers he decided to transform the store into a coffee shop. Several years later Phil and his son Jacob opened up a second location and then a third and then several more throughout the Bay Area. They were building a brand that was loved and admired by customers. Then in 2013 they decided it was time to grow the Philz brand nationwide so they raised a $15 million round of capital from a group of investors including several celebrities such as Jonah Hill, Snoop Dogg and Jamie Kennedy. They've now raised a total of $75 million and have expanded beyond the Bay Area into Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington DC and now coming to Boston and several other metropolitan areas.  In this interview I spoke with Jacob about this amazing journey of building and growing Philz, what makes Philz so unique, how they are creating a new coffee exp