Flaviar raises $400.000 from SpeedInvest

Distillation was developed in the Middle Ages, and the resulting alcohol was called aqua vitae or the “water of life”. Flaviar, the one-year-old British-Slovenian startup that helps its subscribed members discover new “waters of life”, has raised a seed investment in the amount of 400.000 dollars from Austrian business angel fund Speedinvest. The startup has also expanded its service by launching “Flaviar Deals”. 

“The investment encourages us and gives us additional motivation that we’re doing things right,” said Matija Rijavec, CTO of Flaviar.

The startup delivers monthly tasting packs of five samples of spirits (whisky, rum, gin, vodka, and the like) exclusively to members, and every time, they introduce a different theme. The five small vials, which contain three shots each, come with an elaborate and detailed description for testing from Flaviar curators. “The tasting experience is best when done in a small group, allowing one to ‘compare notes’ and observations. That is why our tasting packs are designed for three people,” said Grisa Soba, founder and CEOof Flaviar.

The startup has developed an approach to spirit-tasting through storytelling, and it seems to have reached out to customers, as some have expressed an interest in purchasing full bottles of the samples. To satisfy this desire, Flaviar has recently launched “Flaviar Deals” – select, hard-to-find full-size bottles of high quality spirits.

To date, Flaviar’s curators have prepared 15 packs with more than 70 drinks. With the fresh funding from Speedinvest, the startup will look to further increase its member-base, and expand its reach within the EU. “This seed round will enable us to strengthen our presense in the EU, and we have already localised the service for German-speaking markets,” said Soba. “We’re looking to expand to other international markets in the coming year.”