| Tell us about your company: |
| ZIPURE is a machine-free espresso brand that delivers barista-quality coffee in 3 seconds – no machine needed, no compromise on taste. We believe great espresso shouldn’t be complicated. Just open, pour into any liquid, and enjoy – at home, at the office, or out in the wild. 100% Arabica, zero additives, zero sugar. |
| What inspired you to start your business? |
| As MBA students in LA, we loved great espresso but couldn’t spare 15 minutes for the full machine ritual. The “instant” alternatives tasted burnt and soulless. We realized the market had abandoned busy people who refused to drink bad coffee – so we engineered a better way. ZIPURE was born from that obsession: proving craft espresso can be effortless without any compromise. |
| What are your proudest achievements so far? |
| Our proudest achievement is coming full circle. ZIPURE started as a solution we built for our own MBA cohort at USC Marshall – something to get us through long lecture days without settling for bad coffee. This year, the ZIPURE No Bad Coffee Set was chosen as part of USC Marshall’s official welcome gift for incoming MBA students, putting our pods in the hands of the next generation walking the same halls where we first met. Watching a new cohort open their welcome box and find something better than instant coffee is a moment we never take for granted. Beyond that, seeing customers return again and again and building a community of people who bring ZIPURE camping, to the gym, and around the world – tells us we got the taste right. |
| What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs: |
| Don’t accept the industry’s assumptions. Every great product starts with refusing to settle for what already exists. Stay obsessively close to the problem you’re solving, talk to your customers constantly, and build something you genuinely believe in – that conviction is what carries you through the hard parts. |
| Please share a memory or thought about your alma mater: |
| USC gave us the courage and the network to turn a frustrating morning ritual into a business. The energy of the Trojan community – driven, ambitious, and genuinely supportive — is something we carry into ZIPURE every day. Fight on! |
