Our Founding Story

In our recent “Founder Interview” blog post, we hinted at sharing the full story behind Bottomless' founding.

The wait is over! Here’s how the idea came to life.

Meet the Co-Founders: Michael Mayer and Liana Herrera

Have you ever thought of a solution to a problem and wished someone would invent it?

Then, years later, when someone actually does, you can’t help but feel a bit robbed—” That was my idea!”

As Bottomless co-founder Liana puts it, “Ideas are just ideas.”

When Michael and Liana conceived of an automatic reordering service, they were reluctant to quit their solid jobs and start the business. Eventually, they decided they had no choice but to try it out. They just couldn’t get the idea out of their heads.

How It Started

Michael and Liana met in college, and after graduation, they found keeping up with household inventory challenging.

Michael reflected, “It’s interesting because it’s nobody’s job.”

Consumers frequently run out of food, skincare products, and other essentials, leading to last-minute trips to the store—or worse, going without. This hassle is particularly frustrating, considering that a significant portion of the economy relies on consumable goods.

Recognizing the need for a better solution, the founders were motivated to innovate.

Personal Reordering Experience

Like many people, Michael and Liana initially tried to solve their restocking problems with subscriptions. Michael remembers his Soylent subscription in particular, which took up about 30% of his small apartment’s kitchen cabinets.

“I always joked that it was my disaster preparedness kit,” he says.

However, the excess product often expired before he could use it, leading to around $300 worth of Soylent wasted.

“I felt terrible about wasting it all. That feeling always stuck with me, and I began associating it with the company. We canceled our subscription and stopped ordering from them despite loving the product,” Liana adds.

This was a problem for both consumers and businesses.

Brainstorming Solutions

The “restocking problem” was always on their minds. They discussed it at dinner, during walks, in the mornings, constantly, and incessantly.

They even paused movies to share ideas, refining their thoughts for at least six months.

Finally, Michael came up with the idea for a weight-based recording system. For the first time, they couldn’t find flaws in the plan.

Their conversations were soon monopolized by how it would work, whether it would be intuitive and whether people would remember to store their products on a smart scale. By the time they were ready to bootstrap their idea, they had considered every aspect of the device and system.

Michael quit his job, they both contributed their savings, and they were ready to try it.

So What is Bottomless, Exactly?

Essentially, Bottomless is an automatic inventory management system.

The founders saw a major problem with subscriptions: companies don’t know how much stock customers have at home.

To solve this, Bottomless uses a smart scale with a Wi-Fi chip to track inventory. It collects data and uses AI to determine when refills are needed, sending them at the perfect time. This tech-centric approach makes life easier for users and brands.

Motivation

Michael and Liana weren’t particularly interested in starting a business. They both loved their jobs and were on track for successful careers.

Their goal with Bottomless wasn’t to make money; they simply wanted to see if the system would work and get over their obsession.

Why Start with Coffee?

Growing up, Michael’s mom always bought him cheap, stale coffee from the grocery store—no offense, mom! Everything changed the day he walked into a local coffee shop in Portland and tried fresh-roasted coffee. He was mind-blown and swore not to go back.

Michael began buying from that coffee shop but soon found it a hassle. Eventually, he discovered Heart Roasters and ordered from them online for years. However, he often faced the same dilemma: ordering too much or running out completely.

When it was time to launch Bottomless, Michael recognized that coffee was the ideal product to test their automatic reordering system. Since the founders were bootstrapping the business, they chose a drop-shipping model, which allowed them to eliminate the need for inventory management. This way, they wouldn’t have to stockpile coffee—something that can quickly lose its freshness. Instead, they could send orders directly from the roasters to consumers, ensuring that every shipment was freshly roasted.

And obviously, who doesn’t want a bottomless supply of fresh coffee?

Black & White Coffee on a Bottomless Device

The Journey of Creation

Bottomless was founded in 2018. The company was a standout in how it navigated the hardware space. Many companies rush to scale by heavily investing in perfecting their products upfront, face hardware issues, and fail.

Michael and Liana took a different approach: they committed to gradual scaling.

In the early days, they hand-built a dozen prototypes, laying the groundwork for their manufacturing philosophy. This hands-on approach allowed them to refine their designs and identify bottlenecks in their processes.

When they interviewed for Y Combinator, their approach impressed the partners, and in part, gained their acceptance into the program.

“I give Liana a lot of credit for this. We solved what the actual bottleneck was instead of trying to make everything scalable.” -Michael

Their first devices featured 3D-printed exteriors and hand-soldered internals. Recognizing that hand-soldering was a significant time sink, they outsourced the 3D printing of shells to a shop in China, allowing them to focus on other areas of their business without overextending themselves.

Iterative Learning

At Bottomless, a commitment to iterative learning is at the core of its ethos. As it expands into new verticals and hardware projects, the founders continue to apply their proven method of gradual scaling.

For instance, Bottomless has adapted its sales strategies over time, shifting from a direct-to-consumer (DTC) model to business-to-business (B2B) approaches based on what works best.

In product development, they focus on creating small batches of devices, allowing the team to identify and address issues in real time. This means they never let a potential problem escalate; instead, they fix issues as they arise.

“We only worry about what is feasible to do right now,” emphasizes Michael.

This flexible approach gives Bottomless a foundation for sustainable growth. By prioritizing adaptability and effective hardware development, the company demonstrates that slow and steady can indeed win the race in the hardware AI landscape.

Final Thoughts

In reflecting on the founding story of Bottomless, it’s clear that the essence of the company lies in Liana's sentiment: “Ideas are just ideas.” They’re free to explore, but turning one into a working solution is what truly matters.

For Michael and Liana, Bottomless began as a simple experiment to see if their concept could succeed and it exceeded their expectations. This story isn’t just about launching a business; it’s about the power of pursuing an idea that resonates and the unexpected success that can follow when you dare to try.