Apply for Winter 2027 Cohort by October 15
About us
A community, a program, and a fund for the people who run independent coffee shops.
About us
A community, a program, and a fund for the people who run independent coffee shops.
Our 10-week immersion for the next generation of iconic coffee shops
Our 10-week immersion for the next generation of iconic coffee shops
our story
Before there was a fund, there were conversations.
We spoke with more than 100 coffee professionals across different cities and discovered something surprising: despite different markets and backgrounds, they were asking the same questions about hiring, pricing, growth, and what came next. Most believed they were facing these challenges alone.
So we started getting owners in a room. The Coffee Owners Roundtable has now run 27+ sessions. The questions kept coming so in 2025 we built the rest: a 10-week program, a mentor board of people who’ve done the work, and a fund that invests without taking a single point of equity.
Coffee Futures Fund exists because building a business is easier when you’re not doing it alone.
01
our story
01
Before there was a fund, there were conversations.
We spoke with more than 100 coffee professionals across different cities and discovered something surprising: despite different markets and backgrounds, they were asking the same questions about hiring, pricing, growth, and what came next. Most believed they were facing these challenges alone.
So we started getting owners in a room. The Coffee Owners Roundtable has now run 27+ sessions. The questions kept coming so in 2025 we built the rest: a 10-week program, a mentor board of people who’ve done the work, and a fund that invests without taking a single point of equity.
Coffee Futures Fund exists because building a business is easier when you’re not doing it alone.
what we believe
The best advice comes from people who've done the work.
That's why every workshop, Roundtable, Operator Series conversation, and mentorship session is built on real operating experience, not theory.
We also believe success looks different for every business. Whether you're opening another location or creating a profitable shop that supports the life you want, our role is to help you build the business that's right for you.
02
what we believe
02
The best advice comes from people who've done the work.
That's why every workshop, Roundtable, Operator Series conversation, and mentorship session is built on real operating experience, not theory.
We also believe success looks different for every business. Whether you're opening another location or creating a profitable shop that supports the life you want, our role is to help you build the business that's right for you.
what you can do
listen
Weekly conversations with coffee shop owners, roasters, and industry leaders about the real decisions behind building a coffee business.
listen
Weekly conversations with coffee shop owners, roasters, and industry leaders about the real decisions behind building a coffee business.
talk
Once a month, 7–10 owners compare notes on what’s actually hard right now. Free, no pitch, 27+ sessions and counting.
talk
Once a month, 7–10 owners compare notes on what’s actually hard right now. Free, no pitch, 27+ sessions and counting.
build
A free 10-week program for 10 shops, 1–4 years in: mentorship, financials, hiring, growth — built specifically for independent coffee.
build
A free 10-week program for 10 shops, 1–4 years in: mentorship, financials, hiring, growth — built specifically for independent coffee.
grow
At the end of each cohort, up to $50K each for up to two shops — revenue-based, zero equity, repayments that scale with your sales.
grow
At the end of each cohort, up to $50K each for up to two shops — revenue-based, zero equity, repayments that scale with your sales.
what you can do
Duration:
~ 1 month
listen
Weekly conversations with coffee shop owners, roasters, and industry leaders about the real decisions behind building a coffee business.
listen
Weekly conversations with coffee shop owners, roasters, and industry leaders about the real decisions behind building a coffee business.
talk
Once a month, 7–10 owners compare notes on what’s actually hard right now. Free, no pitch, 27+ sessions and counting.
talk
Once a month, 7–10 owners compare notes on what’s actually hard right now. Free, no pitch, 27+ sessions and counting.
build
A free 10-week program for 10 shops, 1–4 years in: mentorship, financials, hiring, growth — built specifically for independent coffee.
build
A free 10-week program for 10 shops, 1–4 years in: mentorship, financials, hiring, growth — built specifically for independent coffee.
grow
At the end of each cohort, up to $50K each for up to two shops — revenue-based, zero equity, repayments that scale with your sales.
grow
At the end of each cohort, up to $50K each for up to two shops — revenue-based, zero equity, repayments that scale with your sales.
what you can do
listen
Weekly conversations with coffee shop owners, roasters, and industry leaders about the real decisions behind building a coffee business.
talk
Once a month, a group of coffee shop owners compare notes on what’s actually hard right now. Free, no pitch, 30+ sessions and counting.
build
A free 10-week program for 10 shops, 1–4 years in: mentorship, financials, hiring, growth — built specifically for independent coffee.
grow
At the end of each cohort, up to $50K each for up to two shops — revenue-based, zero equity, repayments that scale with your sales.
a word from the founder
akshat khandelwal
Years ago in Boston, I got close to opening a coffee shop of my own. I went another way — building and investing in founder-led businesses but I never stopped paying attention to the people who did open one.
What I saw bothered me: the owners with the best coffee and the hardest work ethic were failing at the same rate as everyone else, because nobody had ever taught them the business side. “Eight out of ten don’t make it” gets repeated like weather.
So before building anything, I talked to more than 100 coffee professionals and started hosting monthly roundtables for owners. The same questions came up in every city. CFF is the answer we built together: the financial and operational support I would have wanted, delivered by people who’ve actually run shops with capital that doesn’t ask owners to give up what they built.
Our mission is simple to say and hard to do: flip the failure rate. Eight out of ten shops are thriving, not the other way around.
Years ago in Boston, I got close to opening a coffee shop of my own. I went another way — building and investing in founder-led businesses but I never stopped paying attention to the people who did open one.
What I saw bothered me: the owners with the best coffee and the hardest work ethic were failing at the same rate as everyone else, because nobody had ever taught them the business side. “Eight out of ten don’t make it” gets repeated like weather.
So before building anything, I talked to more than 100 coffee professionals and started hosting monthly roundtables for owners. The same questions came up in every city. CFF is the answer we built together: the financial and operational support I would have wanted, delivered by people who’ve actually run shops with capital that doesn’t ask owners to give up what they built.
Our mission is simple to say and hard to do: flip the failure rate. Eight out of ten shops are thriving, not the other way around.
akshat khandelwal
a word from the founder