If you’ve ever despaired over the stereotype that you have to be employed in a multinational company or the Big Four to be considered successful, know that you’re not alone.
Rather than letting it get to him, however, Jevin Singh instead opposed the idea and decided to create new opportunities for himself.
He began his career as an Uber driver out of need, not choice, when he realised he couldn’t complete his degree due to a lack of funding, among other circumstances.
Within 5 years, he went from being an Uber driver to its Regional Operation Manager and then Head of Marketing for SOCAR before becoming the CEO and co-founder of RAGE, a tech startup that serves caffeine.
Never Settle For Mediocrity
“RAGE was started out of a personal mission to banish the unfair stigmas and remove unnecessary labels in a society that is so filled with stereotypical expectations,” Jevin said.
He had overcome the brunt of societal constructs himself by “raging” for more and never settling for mediocrity—hence the name of the startup, RAGE.
The inspiration behind RAGE’s establishment in May 2019 comes from Jevin’s belief that most relationships start over a drink that just so often happens to be a caffeinated beverage.
He recalled how during his days as an Uber driver, his fellow colleagues would always get together after long hours of driving to bond over teh tarik (pulled tea) or kopi kosong (black coffee).
Therefore, RAGE is meant to be a way that like-minded people could connect to form a community and network over a cup of coffee.
Leveraging Technology For Efficiency
According to Jevin, what sets RAGE apart from the typical copy-and-paste coffee chain is their focus on technology and community.
As a company that leverages data to cater to its customers, RAGE is able to operate more efficiently and thus channel cost savings back to customers in the form of more affordable pricing.
“Based on behavioural patterns, RAGE can also customise their roast and offer different beans at different locations to cater to the demographics there,” Jevin said.
They’ve also developed and recently launched a mobile app called DrinkRage which allows users to pre-order and make payment for their drinks in a few steps.
Once they’ve placed an order, RAGErs (what their customers are called) can expect their coffee to be ready for pick up when they arrive or have it delivered within 20 minutes by a RAGE-assigned runner.
By using a micro-delivery model within a geofence from each RAGE outlet, the company ensures that deliveries are made while as fresh as possible.
At the moment, the delivery areas RAGE targets are high-density office areas like KL Sentral, Damansara Heights and Bangsar LRT station.
A Community For All Coffee-Lovers
The company practices the value of relationships and community by designing their flagship Bangsar outlet with communal seating to encourage interaction between guests.
Besides being for coffee, the DrinkRage app also has a specific community tab where RAGErs can sign up for events and build relationships with each other.
“As an advocate of building meaningful relationships and facilitating stronger connections, RAGE heavily invested in curating workshops in hopes to support aspiring individuals and tie the working community closer together,” RAGE’s Chief Community Officer, Makissa Sophia said.
“From movie nights to personal branding and motivational talks, RAGE has curated a fascinating lineup of interactive activities in store for all its members.”
There’s Something For Everyone
RAGE has 5 outlets to date with 4 outlet formats: a full-fledged café in Bangsar as their flagship store, a coffee cart in Menara KLK, kiosks at F45 Damansara Heights and Nu Sentral, and a spot in coworking space Common Ground at Bangsar South.
At all of them you’ll find coffee of the classic black, white and matcha series, with their coffee series costing RM8 to RM10 a cup and their matcha series costing RM10 a cup.
Vegans and lactose-intolerant coffee lovers needn’t worry about not having a place in the community as a range of alternatives to dairy milk such as oat milk, soy milk and coconut milk are available.
One thing unique to their Bangsar outlet is their kitchen where customers can get not only coffee but also meals of western, Asian and fusion cuisine. The menu is also vegan-friendly as they serve plant-based food.
Another stand-out feature it has is a “RAGE room” where patrons will find a punching bag to use if they want to “let out some steam after a stressful day of work”, Jevin said.
Raging On
In efforts to be more eco-friendly, RAGE has partnered up with sustainable beauty brand The Mineraw to have their coffee waste reused in a face, lip and body scrub.
As for future plans, they’ve got a Mid Valley outlet set to open sometime in this month of August, and within the next 12 months intend to open at least another 50 outlets in Malaysia.
RAGE hopes to be the one-stop coffee meets community platform of choice where everyone can build new connections and work on their hobby or passion project.
They’re also welcoming partnerships with other cafes who are interested in leveraging their technology and delivery, and they believe the DrinkRage app can provide powerful Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools to all aspiring café owners.
- You can find out more about RAGE here.
Featured Image Credit: RAGE
