Doug Evans didn’t just build a juicer… he built one of Silicon Valley’s most debated startups. As the founder of Juicero, Doug raised more than $100 million to bring cold-pressed juice into people’s homes, only to watch the company crumble after a viral Bloomberg article questioned whether the machine was even necessary.
In this episode, Doug tells Sammi his side of the story. He shares what Juicero was actually trying to solve, the power of a takedown piece, and the surprising role geography played in the company’s fate. He opens up about stepping down as CEO, the shock of watching the company shut down with capital still in the bank, and the fallout that followed. Doug sets the record straight and shares what never made it into the takedown pieces.
Then comes the reinvention. Doug shares how he retreated to the Mojave Desert, wrote a national bestselling book on sprouting, and launched a new direct-to-consumer company built around countertop food production.
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Here’s what Sammi covers today with Doug:
00:00 Doug Evans’ Social Currency
02:55 The “Genetically Cursed” Mindset Shift
04:23 Building Organic Avenue Before Juice Was Cool
09:37 Why Juicero Had to Exist
14:52 The Bloomberg Squeeze Story
17:53 The Media Pile-On and Fallout
25:34 Lessons on Leadership and Investor Alignment
27:38 Going Reclusive After Juicero
33:51 Mojave Desert Reinvention
37:37 The Science Behind Sprouts
41:15 Writing The Sprout Book
46:23 Pitching Sprouts on Shark Tank
51:45 From Trauma to Confidence
56:39 Making Sprouting Mainstream
01:12:12 Social Currency Corner
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