Metric	The Juicero Stats
Company Name	Juicero
Founder	Doug Evans
Total Funding Raised	~$120 Million
Valuation at Peak	~$400 Million (Estimated)
Key Investors	Google Ventures (GV), Kleiner Perkins, Campbell Soup
Lifespan	2013 – September 2017
Cause of Death	Over-Engineering (The “Hand Squeeze” Scandal).
Key Lesson	Complexity is not value. Utility is value.

It is April 19, 2017. One of the most sophisticated pieces of hardware in Silicon Valley history is about to be destroyed by a pair of human hands.

Bloomberg News publishes a video. On the left side of the screen, a reporter uses the $400 Juicero Press. It hums, connects to Wi-Fi, and slowly dispenses four ounces of green juice. On the right side of the screen, the reporter holds the proprietary Juicero produce pack and simply… squeezes it. With her hands.

The result? The hands were faster.

In that 30-second clip, $120 million of venture capital evaporated. The company became a global laughingstock overnight. It wasn’t just a failure; it was the ultimate symbol of Silicon Valley detachment.

Juicero proved that you can hire the best engineers in the world, build a marvel of mechanics, and still fail if you solve a problem that nobody actually has.

The Outside Story: The “Keurig for Juice”

Before the scandal, Juicero was the golden child of the “Hardware Renaissance.” Founder Doug Evans didn’t pitch a juicer; he pitched a platform. He compared himself to Steve Jobs. He claimed Juicero would do for fresh produce what the iPod did for music.

The pitch was seductive: Traditional juicing is messy. You have to chop vegetables, clean the pulp, and scrub the machine. Juicero solved this with a closed-loop system:

1. You buy a beautiful, Yves Behar-designed machine (originally $699).
2. You subscribe to weekly packs of organic, farm-fresh chopped produce.
3. You insert the pack, and the machine presses it with 4 tons of force (enough to lift two Teslas) to extract the nectar.

Investors like Google Ventures and Kleiner Perkins saw “Recurring Revenue” (the packs) and bought in. They thought they were funding a health revolution.

The Inside Reality: The 400-Part Rube Goldberg Machine

Inside the machine, the engineering was genuinely spectacular—and spectacularly unnecessary.

The Juicero Press contained over 400 custom parts. It had a scanner to read QR codes on the packs (to ensure they weren’t expired). It had a microprocessor. It had a Wi-Fi chip that locked the machine if the internet went down. It had a gearbox made of aircraft-grade aluminum.

It was built like a tank designed to invade a country, but its only job was to squeeze a plastic bag.

The engineers were so obsessed with the mechanism of squeezing that they forgot the physics of the bag. The produce inside was already chopped and macerated. It didn’t need 4 tons of force. It just needed a firm hug. The team had engineered a Ferrari to cross the street.

The Point of No Return: The Bloomberg Expose

The company attempted a pivot, dropping the price from $699 to $400. But on April 19, 2017, Bloomberg reporters Ellen Huet and Brad Stone published the article: “Silicon Valley’s $400 Juicer May Be Feeling the Squeeze.”

They revealed the secret that Juicero had tried to hide: The packs were pressable by hand.

You didn’t need the machine. You could just buy the packs (the recurring revenue part) and squeeze them into a glass. This broke the business model instantly. If the machine is useless, why buy it? If nobody buys the machine, Juicero (which refused to sell packs to non-owners) had no customers.

The company offered full refunds to everyone. Five months later, they suspended operations and sold their assets.

The Real Cause: Over-Engineering vs. Utility

Juicero didn’t fail because the juice tasted bad (it was actually delicious). It failed because it violated the Law of Relative Advantage.

For a new technology to succeed, it must be significantly better than the “Analog Alternative.”

• Uber vs. Taxis: Uber is 10x faster/cleaner.
• Email vs. Mail: Email is 1000x faster.
• Juicero vs. Hands: Juicero was slower and cost $400 more.

The Real Cause: The founders fell in love with the solution (the machine) rather than the problem (getting fresh juice easily). They assumed that “Complexity” equals “Value.” They thought that because the machine was hard to build, it must be worth money. But the customer doesn’t pay for your effort. They pay for their own convenience.

Founder-Level Lessons (Uncomfortable but True)

This failure is the archetype for “Hardware Hubris.”

1. The “Analog” Competitor is Your Biggest Threat

Don’t just compare yourself to other startups. Compare yourself to the simplest, non-tech version of the solution.

• Lesson: If your app replaces a pen and paper, but takes longer to open than uncapping a pen, you will fail.
• Juicero’s Error: They competed against other juicers, but forgot to compete against human hands.

2. DRM for Physical Goods is a Trap

Juicero used QR codes to prevent you from using expired packs—or third-party packs. This is “Digital Rights Management” applied to broccoli.

• Lesson: Consumers hate being told how to use a product they own. If you lock your product down to force a subscription, you better be offering massive value (like Nespresso). If you lock it down just to control the user, they will revolt.

3. Value = Benefit / Cost

Juicero had high benefit (good juice) but astronomical cost (price + counter space + Wi-Fi setup).

• Lesson: You can’t just look at the “Cool Factor.” You have to look at the “Hassle Factor.”

Red Flag Checklist: 3 Signs You Are Making This Mistake Today

Are you building a Juicero?

1. The “Smart” Everything: Are you adding Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to a device that doesn’t need it? (e.g., A “Smart Water Bottle” that tells you when to drink).

Reality Check: Connectivity adds friction, bugs, and cost. Is it essential?

2. The Over-Spec’d Build: Are you using custom-machined parts where off-the-shelf parts would work?

Reality Check: The customer doesn’t care if the internal gears are beautiful. They care if it works.

3. The Solution in Search of a Problem: Did you build the tech first, and then try to find a use case for it?

Reality Check: This is the “Hammer looking for a Nail” syndrome. Stop building. Go find a nail.

Final Reflection: What This Failure Teaches Every Entrepreneur

The legacy of Juicero is a warning against Ego Engineering.

It is easy to get seduced by your own creation. It is easy to look at a machined aluminum door hinge and think, “This is art.”

But business is not an art gallery. Business is a utility provider.

If you are raising money, ask yourself: “Can a human do this faster for free?”

If the answer is yes, no amount of venture capital will save you.

Simplicity is not just a design aesthetic. It is a survival strategy.