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cover of episode Insomnia Cookies: Seth Berkowitz

Insomnia Cookies: Seth Berkowitz

2024/8/26
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How I Built This with Guy Raz

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Seth Berkowitz, founder of Insomnia Cookies, started his business by baking and delivering warm cookies to college students late at night. Initially a small operation, Insomnia Cookies now boasts nearly 300 locations and a valuation of $350 million.
  • Insomnia Cookies was founded in 2003 by Seth Berkowitz while he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • The company is currently valued at $350 million and is partially owned by Krispy Kreme and two private equity groups.
  • Insomnia Cookies has expanded to nearly 300 locations.

Shownotes Transcript

When Seth Berkowitz was in college, he was the cookie guy on campus. He’d grown frustrated that the only food he could get delivered late at night were standards like pizza or Chinese food. He had a sweet tooth, and he craved warm, homemade chocolate chip cookies. So he took matters into his own hands and started making and delivering cookies to students at his school. The operation soon went from a silly side hustle to a real business - and then an all-consuming struggle. But today, after decades of detours, long-shot decisions, and near-bankruptcies, Insomnia Cookies is now a $350 million dollar business.

This episode was produced by Alex Cheng with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Andrea Bruce with research help from Katherine Sypher. Our audio engineers were Robert Rodriguez and Maggie Luthar.

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