Smart Cups founder and Chief Executive Chris Kanik said he got the idea for his company on a taco Tuesday night out—“The waitress wasn’t getting my margarita fast enough, and I thought, ‘What if I can pour some powder and make my own drink?’”
Fast forward, and Kanik is doing just that. Not alcohol, though—“I gave up once I found out that each state has its own alcohol laws,” he said—but energy drinks.
The flavors are Tropical Recess, a sweet and tangy pineapple and coconut blend, Pucker Up Brain Boost, a lemonade-berry energizer, Magna Cum Latte, and All Nighter Energy Punch, a fruit-flavored blend of orange, pineapple, grape and apple.
They’re available on the company website, in five- and 10-cup packs.
The company prints microencapsulated flavors at the bottom of BPA-free, biodegradable cups. The process protects the flavors by enclosing actives and flavor materials in microcapsules, which are activated by moisture.
Just add water and the printed microcapsules will start to fizz and dissolve, turning into a drink—no stirring needed.
Ingredients take about 90 seconds to dissolve. Kanik said the company is developing cups with flavors printed on the side to reduce dissolving time by half.
Smart Cups launched its products in December, and they’ll soon be available on Amazon. Kanik said he wants to control the launch as much as possible because, “I am creating a completely new consumer behavior and educating people.”
The company operates out of a 21,000-square-foot facility in Mission Viejo that also includes manufacturing.
Funding and real estate are provided by a local investor.
Kanik said Smart Cups is holding back two additional flavors from the public: Nerdy Lemon Tea and Brilliant Berry Margarita Blast.
Get it? It’s a “smart” cup.
Kanik has a hand in marketing and advertising. His love of silliness stemmed from his early days as a stand-up comedian in New York after graduating from Cornell University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
He showed me a video of his 3-year-old son, looking very much like a real-life Alec-Baldwin-Boss-Baby and yelling, “I’m the CEO of Smart Cups,” and “Buy Smart Cups. They are delicious.”
Kanik laughed, “Isn’t this great?”
The technology could turn the beverage industry on its head.
“We have the technology to print anything we want in a cup … 72 cups is equivalent to three cases of Red Bull,” he said, pointing out the benefit of shipping more at a lower cost. A 24-pack of Red Bull energy drink weighs more than 12 pounds.
“You no longer have to pay to transport water, just vessels.”
— Sherry Hsieh
Escape to Santa Ana
Escape VR has moved into a 6,600-square-foot headquarters at 515 N. Sycamore St. in downtown Santa Ana. The studio will house development and demos of new location-based virtual reality experiences.
The company, started in 2016, specializes in those constructed rooms outfitted with puzzles that must be solved by groups in order for them to escape, typically under a time limit, with hints.
“We historically serviced mostly escape rooms and family entertainment centers by creating specialized or custom location-based VR software content,” Chief Executive Simon Chu told the Business Journal. “Our next products are a package that includes hardware, installation and training for our complete VR system setup.”
Escape VR is in the midst of scaling production for multiple, more costly experiences that demand bigger spaces and testing.
The company, part of The Hungry Lab startup ecosystem, was based at the WeWork co-working space at the 200 Spectrum Center office tower.
Escape VR has experiences in 20 locations in five countries.
Chu self-funded it with approximately $200,000.
—Chris Casacchia
