Founded in Seattle in 1971, Starbucks is a well recognized brand in the world. Best known for the distinguished taste and quality of its coffee and its customer experience, the Company is now worth more than $ 113 billion. Let’s take a look at some unknown facts about this popular coffee retailer.
Unknown facts about Starbucks
1) Although Howard Schultz is synonymous with Starbucks, the multinational coffee chain was first started by two teachers and a writer, Zev Siegl, Jerry Baldwin and Gordon Bowker respectively. The three owners sold the Company to Schultz in 1987.
2) Starbucks was almost named Pequod, which was the name of the whaling ship in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick. The Company changed Pequod to Starbucks, which was another character in Melville’s novel.
3) The Company has incredible business ethics and takes good care of its employees. Starbucks spends more money on its employees’ health insurance than on coffee beans.
4) Starbucks is very strict about anything interrupting the aroma of its freshly ground coffee as the aroma is a crucial part of the Starbucks experience. Starbucks banned smoking cigarettes inside its stores and does not allow its employees to wear any kind of perfume or cologne.
5) Starbucks established many secret stores around Seattle. These Starbucks stores are disguised as normal indie coffee shops. Among these secretive stores, Roy Street Coffee and Tea is the place where the Company tests its new recipes and products.
6) There is a Starbucks store inside the Langley, Virginia Complex of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA,) which is called “Stealthy Starbucks” or “Store No. 1.” The baristas in this store undergo critical examinations before getting hired.
7) The Company, following its eco friendly policy, has opened several stores inside retired shipping containers since 2011. These stores are generally used as drive throughs only.
8) A Starbucks grande coffee contains 320 milligrams of caffeine, which is four times the amount of caffeine you would find in a can of Red Bull.
With an annual revenue of $ 24.71 billion in 2018 and nearly 30,000 stores worldwide, Starbucks has established itself as the world’s best coffee retailer.
Which of these facts about Starbucks did you find interesting? Comment below and let us know.
Bengaluru-based investment bank IndigoEdge, in partnership with entrepreneur Hitesh Ahuja, has launched PixelSky Capital, a secondaries fund targeting INR 400 crore. The fund will invest in eight late-stage tech and consumer companies expected to go public within three to four years, with cheque sizes of INR 40–50 crore each. PixelSky has already invested in beauty retailer Purplle and aims to close a second deal by June 2025.
The fund focuses on secondary transactions, allowing existing shareholders to sell stakes to new investors, providing liquidity ahead of IPOs. Founders have committed INR 10–15 crore, with additional capital coming from domestic family offices and startup founders. Final close is expected by March 2026.
Led by Hitesh Ahuja, who sold his foodtech startup Yumlane in 2023, and IndigoEdge cofounder Zerin Rahiman, PixelSky marks IndigoEdge’s expansion from advisory and proprietary investments into fund management. The firm has facilitated over 150 transactions worth around $3 billion and invested INR 25–30 crore as a limited partner in multiple VC funds. PixelSky is currently evaluating about 20 companies before finalizing its portfolio
Meta is developing its first true AR glasses, set to launch in 2027. Before the public release, employees will test the device starting in 2024. The company is also releasing new generations of Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2023 and 2025 with enhanced features like a “viewfinder” display.
Specifications and Features
The AR glasses are expected to feature OLED displays and Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, offering sophisticated AR and AI capabilities. They will enable users to interact with virtual objects and project high-quality holograms of avatars onto the real world.
Design and Competition
Meta aims for a sleek design, potentially building on its Ray-Ban partnerships. The AR glasses market is competitive, with Apple and Google also investing heavily. Meta seeks to make its AR glasses a game-changer by offering a unique user experience.
Future Plans
In addition to AR glasses, Meta is expanding its VR offerings with new headsets like the Quest 3 and exploring other wearable technologies. The company is focused on reducing costs to make the AR glasses more consumer-friendly by launch.
MobiKwik is venturing into the stock broking sector with the launch of its subsidiary, MobiKwik Securities Broking Private Limited (MSBPL), following approval from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on March 3, 2025. This move aims to diversify MobiKwik’s offerings beyond its core digital payments services and compete with established players like Zerodha and Groww.
MSBPL will provide a range of brokerage services, including trading in shares, securities, commodities, and derivatives. The subsidiary has an initial capital of Rs 1 lakh, with plans for an additional Rs 2 crore investment to support its operations.
As MobiKwik enters this competitive market, it brings a substantial user base of 172 million and a merchant network of 5 million. Despite recent financial challenges, including a reported loss of Rs 55.2 crore in Q3 FY25, the company aims to leverage its existing infrastructure and user engagement to capture a share of the growing investment technology market, projected to reach $74 billion by 2030.
This strategic expansion aligns with MobiKwik’s broader goals of enhancing its financial service