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At just 18, Akshat had started working in investment is to create sustainable, thriving coffee shops that serve CTI: Did your college experience shape in any way
banking while pursuing his Chartered Accountancy. By as community hubs, fostering human connections in an your Coffee Roundtable idea?
24, he had moved to the United States to pursue an MBA increasingly digital world. Akshat is not just reshaping Akshat: My experience at Babson College in Boston
in entrepreneurship at Babson College in Boston. It was the coffee industry but also building a legacy of support was the birth of the Coffee Roundtable idea. My dream
here that the seed of his dream to revolutionize the coffee and community, empowering the next generation of was to start my own coffee shop, but I realized I was ro-
industry began to take root. Through late-night coffee coffee entrepreneurs. manticizing it. Running a coffee shop is tough; it’s not as
marathons during his banking days, he developed a deep Joining the Coffee Owners Roundtable was a trans- simple as it seems.
curiosity about the beverage that kept him going, espe- formative experience for me. Initially hesitant, I quickly When I came to Boston, I went around local coffee
cially its history and culture in India, where robusta discovered the incredible value of the community Akshat shops asking the owners how they did it because I had no
coffee has a unique story. had built. The diversity and expertise of the participants experience. That was an eye-opening experience. Nine
Akshat’s romanticized vision of owning a coffee shop were striking, and the discussions went beyond coffee, out of ten people told me not to do it. They said it’s a hard
was shattered by the harsh realities he discovered while touching on shared challenges, innovative solutions, and grind, not easy, and not very lucrative. That changed
talking to local coffee shop owners in Boston. This reve- personal stories. The session provided actionable advice something in me because until then, I had a rosy picture
lation didn’t deter him; instead, it fueled his determination and concrete ideas to implement in my own endeavors. of owning a coffee shop. But it showed me the reality.
to change the conversation around coffee entrepreneur- The sense of support was palpable, proving this was more CTI: I think the first thing So, yeah, if you ask me, that was the defining mo-
ship. He founded the Coffee Owners Roundtable to create than just a group of coffee enthusiasts—it was a thriving Q&A I learned about you was ment in my journey within the coffee space. I realized
a supportive community for coffee shop owners, provid- community committed to mutual growth and success. that you are an invest- that I wanted to change that perception. Over the next
ing a space to share challenges, successes, and insights. Through the Coffee Owners Roundtable and the ment banker. What in- few months, I realized that one thing that really moti-
His latest initiative, the Coffee Futures Fund, combines Coffee Futures Fund, Akshat is building a supportive spired you to transition from that to the coffee vates me is wanting to change this. I don’t want people
mentorship with seed funding, ensuring that aspiring ecosystem for coffee entrepreneurs. He provides them industry? What ignited that spark? to think that owning a coffee shop is tough and not
coffee shop owners have the guidance and resources they with essential resources, mentorship, and a sense of be- Akshat: I was super young when I was in the in- financially viable.
need to succeed. longing, fostering sustainable and thriving coffee busi- vestment banking world. When you work in investment I’ve always believed in doing good work that is sus-
Throughout our conversation, it became clear that nesses. For those passionate about coffee entrepreneur- banking, there’s no concept of office hours. You’re tainable—not just for your stakeholders and customers,
Akshat is deeply committed to impacting the “bottom of ship, joining the Coffee Owners Roundtable offers an working night and day, even on weekends. And your but also for yourself. You’re putting so much of your
the pyramid,” supporting independent coffee shop owners opportunity to be part of a movement that prioritizes constant companion throughout the week is coffee. hard-earned money, sweat, and effort into your work. If
who often lack the resources of large chains. His vision community, innovation, and lasting impact. People drink a lot of coffee, and I was one of them. We it’s not sustaining your life, it’s not healthy. It’s always
had a coffee machine in the office, and I used to drink about impacting the bottom of the pyramid; that’s been
four or five small cups, maybe eight to ten cups of my driving force.
espresso a day. Initially, I had cappuccinos, but slowly If you look at it, 80% of the coffee shops in the
I got used to drinking espressos and developed a taste world today are independent, local coffee shops. How-
for it. So, I started liking coffee. ever, 80% of the money and technology goes to the
I’m a curious person, so I went online to learn more branded ones like Starbucks. All the resources go to
about coffee since I was drinking so much of it. I want- these big brands, allowing them to use the latest tech-
ed to know what coffee does to your body and how it nology and keep everything modern. The independent
keeps me awake. That academic way of learning about local coffee shops, which make up the majority, don’t
coffee led me to articles and stories about the history have this advantage. I wanted to change or at least impact
of coffee, especially in India. India’s coffee history is this bottom of the pyramid.
unique, particularly with robusta coffee being primari- That’s why I started the Coffee Owners Roundtable.
ly grown there. Learning about that and reading a couple I wanted to create a space where coffee shop owners could
of books on coffee, including its history going back to come together and have conversations. This was right
the Boston Tea Party, expanded my interest in coffee. around the time of the pandemic, and it became even more
I transitioned from drinking coffee to stay awake important after that. People need that space, especially in
and alert at work to learning about its impact on the a job as demanding as running a coffee shop. It can be
body and the history behind it. I started seeking out very lonely for coffee shop owners, staying behind the
coffee shops in Mumbai, which weren’t many at the time, scenes and doing the work all the time.
to explore what they were offering and where they The Coffee Owners Roundtable is a space where we
source their coffee. This exploration made me realize I can meet our peers, share our successes and struggles,
always had an entrepreneurial streak because, in invest- and learn from each other. Everyone has their unique
ment banking, I worked with a lot of entrepreneurs. I specialty. Some are good at operations, others at saving
came to the US in 2018 to do my MBA in entrepreneur- costs, marketing, or networking. This shared collabora-
ship and I soon found myself dreaming of starting my tion of knowledge and emotions was what I hoped to
own coffee business. bring to the table.

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