All Money is Not Equal: Understanding How Different Forms of Capital Can Fuel A Business | Coffee Retail Summit 2023
During the past decade, specialty coffee has seen at least a dozen regional retail brands explode onto the national (and even the international) market, gaining recognition and multi-channel distribution by leveraging venture capital.
Special Thanks to Our Coffee Retail Summit Partners
Coffee Retail Summit wouldn’t be possible without our generous partners, including our global title sponsor, Barista Attitude. Learn more about how all our partners are supporting coffee retail businesses.
Shayna Harris sheds light on how venture capital actually works and highlights key considerations for companies contemplating taking on investment.
About the Presenter
Shayna Harris, Managing Partner
Supply Change Capital
Shayna Harris is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Supply Change Capital, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage food technology with a lens for culture and climate. With two decades as a food industry leader and operator, Shayna has been an executive at fast-growth venture-backed start-ups including Farmer’s Fridge. She was a pioneer of the sustainable procurement program at Mars and has advised brands like Starbucks, Unilever, and Stonyfield on building more resilient businesses and supply chains. Shayna earned her MBA from MIT Sloan and a dual-BA from Boston University. She is a Fulbright Scholar, a published author, and a Forbes contributing writer.
About the Moderator
Leanne Cheng, Americas Partnerships Director
Specialty Coffee Association
Leanne Cheng is the Americas Partnerships Director for the Specialty Coffee Association. After earning a degree in Physiology and Neurosciences with a background in cancer research, she went on to work with non-profit organizations UNICEF and Global Medical Brigades before joining the coffee community as a barista. She initially joined the Specialty Coffee Association as Content Manager, developing content for SCA activations, before moving to an executive support function as Chief of Staff, supporting the Board, the organization, and the CEO to make coffee better. In her role as Americas Partnerships Director, she continues to cultivate partnerships from key stakeholders and support spreading equity throughout all parts of the coffee supply chain. Her usual coffee order is a Flat White, a habit picked up while living in New Zealand, which she enjoys while meeting the coffee community in their local sectors to understand their local markets.
For this year’s Coffee Retail Summit, a number of community events took place in three of the world’s best specialty coffee cities with local hosts: Moms Coffee Yeongdo in Busan, South Korea; Danish Coffee Fest in Copenhagen, Denmark; and Metric Coffee in Chicago, USA.
The event was completely open to our global audience and free-to-attend, made possible with the support of our generous sponsors. Learn more about Coffee Retail Summit, watch videos from previous events, or explore the resource library at retail.sca.coffee.