Inside Liquid Death: From 2017 to Now Into a $195 million business
Startup Type:
Headquarter: Santa Monica, USA
Current Status: Active (private; products now sold in 29,000+ retailers)
Founders: Mike Cessario
Founded Year: 2017
Investors: Science Inc., Thrive Capital, Live Nation
Funding Raised: $195 million
What Is the business model of Liquid Death?
Beverage startup selling mountain water in tallboy aluminum cans, marketed with edgy punk-rock branding and slogans, making money through retail and DTC sales of its canned water and iced teas
How Liquid Death got started?
Cessario, a former creative director, founded Liquid Death in 2017 to attract Millennials/Gen Z with a humorous heavy-metal approach to healthy drinking water, launched online with comedic marketing that quickly went viral
what growth strategy has Liquid Death followed?
Built a cult following via irreverent social media content and merchandizing, which translated into rapid retail demand, capitalized on the sustainability angle of aluminum over plastic and now sells nationwide in stores, riding a wave of brand buzz
what are the top products/features of Liquid Death
Liquid Death canned mountain water, flavored sparkling waters, Liquid Death Iced Tea, heavy-metal themed merchandise
what was the biggest challenge faced by Liquid Death?
Overcoming skepticism that consumers would buy expensive canned water with provocative branding, and expanding distribution from niche online sales into major retail chains while maintaining its counter-culture image