bubble-tea
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Chowbus sold the delivery business. Then it got a seat at the table.
The Chicago company began by bringing Asian food to diners. Its next business lives inside the restaurant, where a second round of sushi, a bubble tea modifier and a ringing phone are software problems with very human consequences.
Gong cha Is Turning a Cup of Bubble Tea Into a Global Operating System
The Taiwan-born chain has grown from one experimental tea shop into nearly 2,200 points of sale. Its next act depends on making thousands of customized drinks feel personal - without letting a global franchise system lose the plot.
UMe Tea
UMe Tea is a California-based bubble tea chain founded in 2019 by former Silicon Valley engineer Jiachun 'Summer' Li. Built around fruit-forward, less-sugary recipes tuned to American palates, the brand pairs handcrafted drinks and snacks with viral marketing - most notably a surprise bunny plushie hidden in the bottom of its cups. Bootstrapped and profitable for its first four years, UMe grew to roughly 30 Bay Area stores before raising a $10M Series A led by Conductive Ventures in 2025 to fund team-building and regional expansion.