Blank Street
Series BRaised Since FeaturedQuality coffee, smaller footprint
Micro-retail coffee chain offering affordable specialty coffee through small-format locations and mobile carts.
About
Blank Street is a New York-born coffee chain that launched in August 2020 with a single battery-powered mobile coffee cart in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Co-founded by immigrants Issam Freiha (Columbia, from Lebanon) and Vinay Menda (NYU, from UAE) — who also co-founded Reshape, a $100M venture capital fund — the company pioneered a micro-retail model with locations roughly one-quarter the size of traditional cafes. By leveraging automation, super-automatic espresso machines, and a strong mobile app, Blank Street delivers specialty coffee at prices below Starbucks while maintaining quality. The chain has grown to 90+ locations across New York City, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Boston, and Washington D.C. With ~$127M in total funding at a ~$500M valuation, Blank Street has become one of the fastest-growing coffee brands globally, powered by its Gen Z-focused branding, Instagram-ready spaces, and a 'Powered by Blank Street' wholesale partnership program that helps local food vendors expand without upfront costs.
DailyDropout Take
Blank Street caught our attention with a deceptively simple insight — specialty coffee doesn't need a 2,000 sq ft cafe. By shrinking the footprint and automating operations, they cracked the unit economics that make Starbucks challengers viable. The immigrant founder story, from a single battery-powered cart in Brooklyn to 90+ locations and a $500M valuation, is the kind of capital-efficient scaling we love spotting early.
Discovery signal: Rapid location expansion, immigrant founders with VC background (Reshape fund), Tiger Global + General Catalyst backing at Series A, micro-retail model disrupting traditional cafe economics
What Makes Them Unique
Blank Street's micro-retail model uses locations one-quarter the size of traditional cafes combined with super-automatic machines and a mobile-first experience to deliver specialty coffee at prices below Starbucks — enabling rapid urban expansion without the overhead of full-size cafes.
90+
Locations
~$127M
Total Raised
~$500M
Valuation
450+
Employees
8 (NYC, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Boston, D.C.)
Cities
Target Markets
Founders
Issam Freiha
Co-Founder
Lebanese-born entrepreneur who studied at Columbia University. Co-founded Reshape, a $100M venture capital fund, before launching Blank Street from a mobile coffee cart in Brooklyn.
Vinay Menda
Co-Founder & CEO
UAE-born entrepreneur who studied at NYU. Co-founded Reshape, a $100M venture capital fund. Named to Imbibe 75 People to Watch. Led Blank Street from a single coffee cart to 90+ locations globally.
Funding History
Lead: Unknown
Lead: Unknown
Lead: Unknown
Lead: General Catalyst
Lead: Unknown
Lead: HOF Capital
Lead: Unknown
Investors
Firms
Individual Investors
Co-Founders, Warby Parker
Press & News
General Catalyst, Tiger Global lead $25M investment into Blank Street's micro specialty coffee shops
Blank Street Coffee raises $20 million from General Catalyst and Tiger Global
Coffee chain Blank Street nabs $25M investment