All of the anecdotal proof on the planet says that opening an unbiased espresso store is a dangerous proposition, with comparatively excessive five-year failure charges.

A brand new small-scale espresso enterprise accelerator referred to as the Espresso Futures Fund is hoping to remodel that narrative, providing a mixture of funding and mentorship in change for a fixed-term share of income.

Making its public debut at subsequent month’s SCA Expo in Houston, the Espresso Futures Fund just lately opened functions for its 2025 summer time cohort of enterprise house owners.

“Arguably, eight out of 10 espresso retailers don’t survive after the primary 5 years,” Espresso Futures Fund Founder Akshat Khandelwal just lately advised Every day Espresso Information. “Let’s flip the script and make that eight out of 10 succeeding. That’s the mission.”

The fund affords a extra nurturing different to conventional enterprise capital, focusing not on exponential development towards an exit path, however on rising small companies looking for long-term success.

The Espresso Futures Fund begins with an software course of, leading to a cohort of 10 espresso store companies between one and three years outdated. Members then be a part of an intensive 10-week enterprise growth, mentorship and workshopping program. All individuals are then paired with established espresso business professionals for a one-year mentorship program.

On the conclusion of the 10-week program, the ten individuals current pitches to mentors and business veterans, with as much as two of them receiving as much as $50,000 in funding for his or her enterprise. In change, the Espresso Futures Fund receives 5% of annual income for 4 years. The corporate doesn’t ask for fairness.

The Espresso Futures Fund is launching with a six-member mentorship board that features: Fund founder Khandelwal; Madcap Espresso Founder Trevor Corlett; previous World Barista Champion Dale Harris; specialty espresso business skilled Julie Housch (previously of Caravela and SCA); Hideaway Café Proprietor Victoria Kidd; and TLG Consulting Group Founder Nicole Mozeliak.

Khandelwal stated he met with greater than 100 espresso professionals whereas growing the Espresso Futures Fund, gathering insights earlier than locking within the 10-week competitors/program mannequin.

A former aspiring espresso store proprietor in Boston, Khandelwal in the end carved out a profession in accounting and funding banking, then launched a collection of roundtable occasions particularly for espresso store house owners.

Whereas centered explicitly on espresso, the brand new enterprise takes some cues from established startup enterprise accelerators in different industries. Khandelwal cited Y Combinator (startup accelerator), the Echoing Inexperienced Fellowship (affect investments), Slice (unbiased pizzerias), and Starmate (mentor-driven mannequin) as profitable use instances with sure parts just like the Espresso Futures Fund.

“I’ve studied and personally labored with a variety of funding and accelerator fashions, and having seen the worldwide tech/VC aspect of the world, I created CFF, which took inspiration from a few of these finest fashions after which customized it to suit the espresso store panorama,” Khandelwal advised DCN. “We’re a fund. We aren’t only a fund. In contrast to banks or conventional VC, we offer tailor-made handholding for rising espresso retailers to succeed whereas offering them significant capital that really strikes the needle.”

Functions are now open for the Espresso Futures Fund’s Summer time 2025 cohort, with a deadline of April 30.

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