Love the idea! Slightly off topic, but what was your experience applying for/going through YC as a husband and wife team? I've heard that VC's are reluctant to invest out of fear of interpersonal issues.
Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
81–90 of 262 posts
Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
#82Few of questions 1. People always make weekend grocery trips. Why can't they just add a packet of coffee powder? Why do they have to use you? 2. Amazon just discontinued their dash buttons. There should be a strong reason for it. Do you know what it is? How are you planning to avoid it? 3. The issue with diapers and toilet papers is huge. They take up a lot of volume and have very little weight. Does the scale approa…
I think the target audience aren't the sort of people that buy a packet of coffee powder from the grocery store.
Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
#83Does this require me to have it always plugged in? Could you make me an alexa skill? I have an alexa in my kitchen already.
No, the scale last for up to 1 year on a single battery charge and we're working on improving that. We might do an Alexa skill in the future.
Is this hardware for the sake of hardware? I think this would be more useful in industrial or commercial use (bakeries?) rather than home use. If I run out of coffee, I go to starbucks on my way to work and order on instacart or go by grocery store on my way home.
Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
#84Few of questions 1. People always make weekend grocery trips. Why can't they just add a packet of coffee powder? Why do they have to use you? 2. Amazon just discontinued their dash buttons. There should be a strong reason for it. Do you know what it is? How are you planning to avoid it? 3. The issue with diapers and toilet papers is huge. They take up a lot of volume and have very little weight. Does the scale approa…
Thanks for the questions. 1. I always forget to get one or two things when I go to the store. This removes having to remember coffee stock levels. Also, the coffee in the store isn't fresh because the distribution chain is too long. We ship straight from roaster to customer, so the coffee is really fresh. 2. Dash doesn't work because it's a new habit and people have to remember to find and press the button before run…
Actually a scale still works for 3 if it's large enough. Counting scales exist which can weigh increments less than a gram but can measure trends of kilos without damage.
Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
#85Love the idea! Slightly off topic, but what was your experience applying for/going through YC as a husband and wife team? I've heard that VC's are reluctant to invest out of fear of interpersonal issues.
The only time we told YC about our relationship was during the application on the question of "how do we know each other" but other than that, no issue at all. They have been very welcoming and respectful. I can’t complain at all.
Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
#86This kind of idea is why I'm not going to let my kids major in computer science (at least not just CS). The brains behind this startup could be doing something at least superficially useful, but apparently all they know are the technical 'solutions', and know nothing about real-world problems.
right, your time spent writing that comment is more useful and solves real-world problems. I feel bad for your kids
Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
#87Congratulations! I have a similar idea, but more for refilling a particular glass or mug with a given beverage before it becomes empty (because reaching the end makes me feel sad now and then :P).
How would the refill be delivered to the mug?
The scale is a lot smaller :P : imagine a single-cup coffee machine with a scale where the cup sits all at your desk. If you remove the brewing functionality with a desktop-sized tank and a dispenser system, then you have something that would work for any beverage. There is no delivery beyond what the appliance would provide (tank to cup). My other inspiration for this idea was the Norse myth of Thor and drinking horn connected to the sea [0].
[0] http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/pre/pre04.htm (pp 63-64, 67)
Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
#88Good luck!
A year and half ago I had to write down all the spices/ingredients we had and how much was left, because we kept running out and finding out when cooking. My wife and I discussed how a scale like this would be awesome!
Hope this works out!
Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
#89Good luck! A year and half ago I had to write down all the spices/ingredients we had and how much was left, because we kept running out and finding out when cooking. My wife and I discussed how a scale like this would be awesome! Hope this works out!
Thank you
Re: Launch HN: Bottomless (YC W19) – Coffee Restocked with a Smart Scale
#90Can you share your designs of your scale? What I want is a scale that I can put under the cat food or water bowl (or under the cat litter tray), so that I can measure on a minute-by-minute basis how much water was drunk, how much food was eaten, or how much poop or pee was generated, and see those trends over a long period of time. Cats are really good about hiding weakness and illness, and we've found that frequentl…
You can make one yourself pretty quickly with a Raspberry Pi and a few dollars ([0]: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10245