Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (ETL) Jake Miller (Fellow) - Designing Products Around Customer Experience
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May 27, 2026 Jake Miller, founder and CEO of Fellow, a design-driven coffee and espresso brand. He talks about launching from Stanford Launchpad and building a focused product roadmap. He shares stories of a rocky Kickstarter, the breakout Stagg kettle, and scaling retail and fundraising. He explains shifting from product design to crafting the full customer experience.
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Design A Product Portfolio Around One Customer
- Jake built Fellow by designing a portfolio of products around one customer: the coffee lover who wants great at-home brewing.
- The roadmap targeted grinders, scales, kettles, coffee makers and eventually espresso, enabling consistent product launches in the same category.
Launchpad Prototype Forced The Founder Decision
- In Launchpad Jake prototyped the Duo Coffee Steeper combining pour-over and French press features.
- The class forced him to take the prototype to market and decide whether to start the company.
Kickstarter Win That Nearly Broke The Company
- Jake launched the Duo Coffee Steeper on Kickstarter, raised $193,000, then spent 18 months and $300,000 delivering units.
- The project largely failed operationally but created the brand momentum that funded product two and the company launch.