Byron Ling: Learning to rise wisely with Kin

Alcohol has been part of human life for almost 10,000 years. In that time, it has deeply impacted culture, religion, communities and how humans have socialized with one another around the world. And yet, despite that pivotal and historic role of alcohol, today consumers are abstaining from or reducing their alcohol consumption, actively investing in the better, healthier version of themselves. While this trend has become more observable recently, it’s actually been underway for almost two decades. According to the World Health Organization, the number of drinkers around the world has declined by 10% from 2000 to 2016 (48% to 43% of the world’s population), a remarkable trend in a category worth $1.4 trillion globally. And as the paradigm for personal health and wellness continues to evolve – and entrench – we are seeing that trend accelerate.

That’s just one of the reasons why we were so excited to lead the latest round of funding for Kin Euphorics. Over a year ago, I was fortunate enough to meet Kin’s co-founders Jen Bachelor and Matthew Cauble and hear about their vision of how we can reimagine revelry and how we socialize with a collection of alcohol-free social tonics. They believed the world was missing a product for the growing community of consumers who still want to socialize, have fun and go out, but to do so more consciously, without falling prey to the detox/retox cycle, and without waking up groggy after a night out. I quickly became an early adopter and with a front-row seat to Kin’s early, organic customer love, I knew we had to partner with them and the company they would come to build. I will never forget one of Kin’s first events at Her Name Was Carmen, a bar in Soho, where they invited 200+ early customers to a night of revelry and Kin cocktails. A few hours in, the collective energy of hundreds of strangers coming together, without a drop of alcohol, uniting around a nascent brand and the shared goal of social connection without the hangover, was evidence of Kin’s pioneering role for the sober curious movement.

This week Kin is launching it’s second product – Kin Cans – a pre-mixed, single-serve beverage in a new, portable size. The company has served over half a million servings in just a few months and empowered a community that grows by the second. Building a multi-billion dollar brand is deeply tied to nuanced execution of form factor, distribution, flavor and most importantly uniting millions of consumers around a common purpose – just as Red Bull, Gatorade and Titos Vodka did in their respective eras. We believe Kin has exactly that potential.

We are excited to partner with Jen and Matt on this journey of bringing consumers together to #risewisely.