Remember Winc?
It was a wine DTC company founded in 2012. By 2022, their online wine subscription service was touted in the media as one of “the fastest-growing wineries in the world.” (Consumers didn’t always give it glowing reviews.)
In November 2022, Winc filed for bankruptcy. That came on top of other spectacular implosions, including aperitif maker Haus, which put itself up for sale after losing funding, and Pix.Wine, for which I used to contract.
Interest rates were up, easy money vanished, and shutters slammed on many online enterprises. But those, it now turns out, were the good old days — two years later, online is even tougher: there are more expensive logistics to manage, plus it costs more to get traction on social media.
Which is why I was so intrigued to hear about Neha Kumar.
Betting big on wine DTC
Neha and business partner Louis Amoroso founded Full Glass Wine in 2023 — and raised $14.2 million in Series A funding.
The company now includes Winc, Bright Cellars and Wine Ins…