Winc

A modern winery, building the brands of tomorrowWinc is building the modern winery, with a direct connection to the consumer and a portfolio of brands for the next generation of wine drinkers.We are disrupting the $220B wine industry.We believe the traditional wine industry hasn’t properly explored how wine fits into the lives of today’s evolving consumer, but Winc is democratizing the category and breaking down barriers to what is often a very complex world. As a digital-first, vertically integrated wine company, Winc’s unique model enables real time product testing, validation, and brand building. Real time customer feedback is rare in the wine industry, but Winc owns and leverages its first-party data from over 13M bottles sold directly to more than 500K customers to inform its decisions in the vineyards and create wines that resonate with today’s consumer. Winc is reimagining the path from grape to glass, delivering quality wines and innovative wine brands that can scale beyond a successful online membership subscription into premium restaurants and retailers nationwide. 

Complimentary 6-bottle pack of our flagship brands ($116 retail value)
Year-round 10% back in credit on gift cards
Friends and Family discount: $20 additional Winc referral credits
“Pick Winc’s next product”: The ability to help us name our next flagship product
Early access to wine tasting and events
$150 in Winc Credits
Reservation bonus: An additional $100 in Winc Credits for a total of $250
$400 in Winc Credits
Reservation bonus: An additional 6-bottle pack of our flagship brands ($116 retail value) as well as an additional $200 in Winc Credits for a total of $600 (that is 1 year worth of wine!*)
$1,800 in Winc Credits (3 years worth of wine!*)
12-bottle pack of our flagship brands ($232 retail value)
6 Exclusive magnum bottles of high-end single vineyard wine crafted by Ryan Zotovich ($750 retail value)
$1,800 in Winc Credits (3 years worth of wine!*)
12-bottle pack of our flagship brands ($232 retail value)
6 Exclusive magnum bottles of high-end single vineyard wine crafted by Ryan Zotovich ($750 retail value)
Exclusive meet-the-winemaker dinner (up to $750 of travel expenses covered)
Annual meeting with the founders and executive team
$1,800 in Winc Credits (3 years worth of wine!*)
12-bottle pack of our flagship brands ($232 retail value)
6 Exclusive magnum bottles of high-end single vineyard wine crafted by Ryan Zotovich ($750 retail value)
All-Inclusive multi-day winemaking experience in Santa Barbara (All expenses covered)
Annual meeting with the founders and executive team

$169mm in revenue, 13mm bottles sold, and 92% CAGR from inception in 2011 to July 2018
Raised over $44.8mm from prominent investors like CrossCut Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Shining Capital, and Cool Japan Fund
Named as one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company for “using subscriber feedback to make wines millennials go crazy for,” with 3.3mm+ ratings from over 500K customers
Founded flagship brands like “Summer Water” (over $4mm in revenue in 2018, representing 38% YoY growth) and “Folly of the Beast” ($1.9mm in revenue in 2018, representing 45% YoY growth) (unaudited)
Launched wholesale in 2015, now serving 48 states & over 3100 accounts including Whole Foods, Vons, Hollywood Bowl, as well as premium restaurants & hotels. Since 2016, this channel has grown at 69% CAGR with a total revenue of $17mm (unaudited)

Brand Acquisitions: 48%

Marketing: 28%

Inventory: 24%

Geoffrey McFarlane
CEO, Co-Founder
Geoff believes that hospitality – the authentic connection with people that makes them feel welcome, engaged, and comfortable – is the key to success in a customer-driven world. As the visionary who saw just how disconnected winemaking is from the consumer, Geoff co-founded Winc. Drawing on more than 10 years of hospitality leadership, Geoff looks for every opportunity to establish meaningful connections with consumers by creating a more hospitable wine buying experience. Prior to Winc, Geoff founded and sold a series of successful restaurants and bars. He ran a 300+ person multi-brand restaurant and hospitality group that he led for over 8 years, including the Jet Hotel, a boutique property in downtown Denver. Geoff studied finance at The University of Denver’s Daniels School of Business. 

Brian Smith
President, COO, Co-Founder
Brian is driven by a passion to share great wine with as many people as possible. The role of Winc co-founder and COO furthers his mission to create and connect great products with today’s consumer. As COO, Brian combines his years of experience as a sommelier, winemaker, and brand builder to oversee the world’s most innovative and culturally relevant wine program. A firm believer in creative collaboration, Brian led Winc to partner with Charity Water, Baja East, and Jonathan Simkhai, among others. Brian and his team of winemakers carefully craft more than 100 wines a year from grape to glass. Prior to Winc, Brian founded successful finance and fashion startups. His previous wine experience includes creating the wine program for the tech-enabled Clo Wine in New York and founding the millennial cult brand Jolie Folle rosé.

Ryan Zotovich
Director of Winemaking
Prior to Winc, Ryan worked at Palmina Wines and Sea Smoke Cellars, and was responsible for helping launch the Zotovich Estate brand, Zotovich Vineyards. His approach emphasizes respectful winemaking, meaning that he believes 90% of winemaking happens in the vineyard and that proper site selection, coupled with meticulous farming and correct picking decisions, allows for minimal intervention in the winery. Since joining Winc in 2015, Ryan has embarked on a mission to challenge the status quo through the creation of unique and premium wines, made available at an accessible price point so that they can be enjoyed by all. He has a BA in Wine and Viticulture from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.

Round type: Series D Round size: US $14,999,550 Minimum investment: US $999 Target Minimum: US $1,750,000 Security Type: Preferred Equity Share price: US $1.4136 Pre-money valuation: US $110,000,000 Option pool: 19.0% Liquidation preference: 1.0x Raised to date: US $866,459