Today we’d like to introduce you to Damyanna Cooke.
Hi Damyanna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
From a young age, I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. My mother, while in nursing school in the mid 90’s, was an Avon sales representative.
I remember flipping through countless catalogues daydreaming about the business owner I would one day become. It was my first introduction to seeing women entrepreneurs and I was inspired. So much so that I took it upon myself to start my own journey by selling M&M’s and Rice Krispies treats from the back of my 8th grade classroom. Our catholic school had no vending machines and by mid afternoon demand was high.
Every day after school, I would put the money I made into my hidden shoe box and when I had just enough, I would run to the fashion district for a sparkly new shirt. From that point on, I was hooked to the idea of owning my own business.
My journey to entrepreneurship was a much longer one than I expected. After a nearly 15-year career in Wall Street/Fintech, working for companies like Lehman Brothers, Neuberger Berman and most recently as Senior Director for FIS, I joined the 1.5 million mothers who left the workforce during the pandemic to focus on family and building my own company, Boozed Beverages LLC. Boozed is an early-stage tech startup looking to disrupt how you experience alcohol at weddings and events by introducing an AI driven cocktail making and dispensing vending system. The idea of Boozed came about from my own personal experience of planning a large wedding where my husband and I were faced with the challenge of providing alcohol to our guests.
Typically, you have two options; either you sign a contract, or you take a “do it yourself” approach by hiring bartenders, calculating how many bottles to purchase, etc. The first option was pretty expensive and the latter was too time consuming and stressful. It is also averaged that a typical bar goer on a busy night can wait up to 10 minutes for a drink. We’ve all been there before. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to have an autonomous, fast, and novel option at your next event that cuts down on wait time?
I embarked on the startup journey in November 2019 and since then Boozed has hit many great milestones. This summer, we wrapped up a 12-week accelerator program with the Houston Ion Aerospace Innovation Accelerator for Minority Business Enterprises in which we won the grand prize for our demo day pitch competition. The grand prize consisted of Common Desk office space at the new Houston Ion Innovation Hub set for public launch next year. We are currently in product development and excited to introduce our product to the Houston metro area.
Before we do so, our next biggest milestone is meeting the expectation of my four-year-old daughter who is thrilled that mommy is “building a robot”. In this next chapter, I am reminded that as I once watched my mother, she is watching me. I cannot be more excited to be her source of inspiration. Kudos to all the moms surviving the pandemic.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The entrepreneurial journey is bumpy, winding, long but worth it. During my career in investment management, I spent many years helping to unwind and implement new technology platforms after the Lehman bankruptcy, so I knew I was capable of tapping into the technology industry.
I needed to pivot to the tech startup space but wasn’t sure how to make the transition. It was challenging to find support and resources at first but as the Houston startup community gained momentum, I knew I was moving in the right direction. I spent hours self-learning, sought out mentors, attended virtual events and immersed myself in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Boozed aims to introduce “Your Bartender’s Favorite Bartender”, an autonomous cocktail vending system for locations such as weddings and events, sporting venues, festivals, restaurants, and nightlife. What sets us apart? Our autonomous cocktail dispensing system mixes many of your favorite drinks in an interactive, fun, fast and contactless way. Consumers can order a drink virtually anywhere on their phones and pick up their drink at a machine when ready. By integrating robotics, hardware and software, your cocktail experience will be reinvented so you spend less time waiting in line, and more time celebrating.
What’s also enticing is that our product is intended as a supplement and not a replacement to bartenders. We are excited to introduce bartenders to a new wave of technology and new means for tips – remotely! We are also super excited to introduce the world of connected drinking to the wedding & events industry and meet the pent-up demand of everyone wanting to celebrate. In 2019, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) announced its acceptance of self-pour systems, which tell us the industry is ready for innovation. The autonomous food & beverages industry is on the rise, and we’re excited to be at the forefront of the journey here in Houston.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Some of the audible books in my library include the 4-Hour Work week (Timothy Ferriss), Outwitting the Devil (Napoleon Hill), Year of Yes (Shonda Rhimes), Measure What Matters (John Doerr), The Lean Startup (Eric Ries) and Soar (TD Jakes).
A few apps I enjoy are Quora, TLCH, Headspace and Clubhouse (mostly pitch practices and Q&As). For business, Asana, Slack and anything Google Workspace. I also find myself glued to the Shutterfly app, looking for creative ways to organize or display my 35K+ family photos!
Contact Info:
- Email: info@boozed.ai
- Website: www.boozedbeverages.com
- Instagram: boozed.ai
Image Credits
Cristina Janee Photography & Design
Creative Sparks Image
Allyson Huntsman Photography
