More than 150 million Americans start (or get through) their day with coffee. And lucky for us, we have a choice: Latte. Cappuccino. Affogato (ice cream with espresso). Yes, consumers can reach for a variety of blends and beers in the morning. Where someone else might have seen a crowded, if not impenetrable, market, Hannah Mendoza saw a bustling marketplace of opportunity.

In 2019, Mendoza jumped on the train that had just taken the alcohol industry by storm. But instead of a cocktail company serving buzz without booze, the now 29-year-old launched Clevr Blends, a startup that instantly delivers functional latte blends packed with adaptogens, probiotics, and superfoods that, according to Clevr, promise long-lasting focus, "like the The company offers healthy alternatives to typical morning drinks, such as the Matcha Super Latte, a blend of turmeric, adaptogens, mushrooms, and probiotics that boasts anti-inflammatory properties. People seem to like it: in just two years since its launch, Clevr has gained a loyal following (31,000 on Instagram) and can't keep the blend on the (virtual) shelves. All this hype is thanks to Mendoza (with a full-time team of just three), but the support from fans like Oprah and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is not bad either. Let's consider the market destroyed.

Some might see this move as a gamble, but Mendoza is always up for a challenge. She moved to California from London, where she grew up, when she was 18 ("I was looking for a little more sunshine, mentally and temperature-wise"), and after graduating from UC Santa Barbara in 2014, she became the first employee of a small direct-trade superfood startup to become the first employee of a small direct trade superfood startup. But she wanted to be her own boss. In fact, she knew she wanted to be a founder even before she came up with the idea for the business. As a child, she cites memories of seeing women in leadership roles that "redefined [her] own concept of gender norms." Below is how Mendoza accomplished this.

Marie Claire: an inspiration to Clevr

Hannah Mendoza: I distinctly remember seeing women in leadership roles as a child and how it began to reshape my own conception of gender norms. One of the main reasons I wanted to start my own company was because I wanted to be a part of that movement, and before the concept of Clevr was even born, there was a foundational place for that desire, and I wanted to be a part of that movement.

Most people in the U.S. start their day with some form of caffeine, and the idea for Clevr came at a time when there was a growing awareness of these alternative and exotic ways that people could go beyond the caffeine rituals they had been doing in their lives. [But there seemed to be a huge gap between knowing about adaptogens, probiotics, and mushrooms and actually having the time, energy, and space to incorporate them into our lives, and Clevr's idea was to bridge that gap. What we do first thing in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. So if we could create an alternative to the coffee that people drink on a daily basis, we could directly influence how their day goes. Honestly, that's how I wake up in the morning.

MC: The brand has grown quickly. How did you launch, pivot, and boom in just two years?

HM: The first year, 2019, was extremely grassroots. There were only two of us working full time, and we had essentially almost no marketing budget. We went directly to events and set up tasting bars. It was the best, quickest integration process we could do.

The second year was 2020, and it was all about making the concept scalable. With a small team, you cannot attend 20 events a year. It is not realistic. Plus, with the pandemic, there was literally no option but to go to the events. [We focused on simplifying the user experience on the website. This meant investing more in the type and quality of content, as well as in paid advertising and email marketing. This is an evergreen for most brands. I don't think it was limited to the pandemic, but it was especially important in the past year given the lack of connection in other ways.

MC: What has been the biggest challenge or hurdle you've faced in the past year?

HM: We are very grateful to be in this industry niche, protected from the real challenges of 2020. We are a digital native brand, almost exclusively e-commerce, and this was a deliberate choice. We are also in the coffee and tea business. The products we have created bring comfort in times of unrest. So compared to other businesses, we feel like we are getting off light.

In terms of particular challenges, 2020 was a very big year, and figuring out how to communicate the enormity, the gravity of 2020 (was challenging), but doing that as a brand was a really interesting growth point. There were huge changes in our country around pandemics and social justice. Brands, especially small brands like ours, are way past the point where they should be neutral about these things. But it has been a challenge for me to determine to what extent my own personal beliefs and the personal beliefs of my team should be expressed through our brand. But figuring out how far my own personal beliefs and the personal beliefs of my team should be expressed through the brand has been a challenge for me. How can we leverage our company to stand up for what we believe in, not just sell products? As a result, we committed to donating a percentage of our proceeds to food justice projects and the community.

MC: New companies want to reach as many readers as possible. And sometimes, by expressing certain political or ideological beliefs, they may exclude a group of potential customers or investors.

HM: I think what we've landed on is the movement that happened this year and the revelation of deep inequities in our society. Of course, it is inherently controversial when people have different views, but it should not be a polemic - human rights should not be a polemic.

When you speak out, people get angry. It's difficult as a brand, but ultimately I don't find that very noble. It's worth it. There is more we can do by speaking up. There is more we can do. There is more we can say.

MC: Was being a young founder any unique challenge?

HM: Being young can read into utopianism and an almost willful ignorance of the potential difficulties of starting a business. The ability to be completely, utterly, almost selfishly, dedicated to growing a business without children, without anyone depending on you, is [a strength]. It's quite possible to be that dedicated even with children, but for me, being able to be single-minded has helped me enormously to stay focused.

On the other hand, the learning curve is much steeper, especially when it comes to investments. Especially when it comes to investments. Getting criticized and making mistakes happens all the time. There is no way to avoid it. I have a very hard time not taking it personally because I am so emotionally invested in what we are creating.

MC: Speaking of raising capital: Clevr made headlines as the first company Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, invested in. What was the fundraising process like?

HM: I didn't get a raise before that and I haven't gotten one since. [We haven't done more traditional fundraising. But I've talked to a lot of investors, especially in the last six months. The thing that impressed me the most is that investors are human beings and we must not forget the human connection. That is very important.

MC: Oprah is also a big fan of Clevr. Could you have imagined or predicted that two of the most prominent women in the world would publicly support your company?

HM: I am deeply grateful and honored to have two of the most amazing, powerful, and influential women supporting what we have built. It is truly unreal and we are so grateful. This is something we never thought we would be able to do. [We are a] grassroots brand. We formulate all of our products in my kitchen and make everything ourselves. We've had such a humble trajectory, but to have so much passion, so much intention, and to have it recognized and to have the potential of what we're building be recognized is something I will treasure for the rest of my career and the rest of my life.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.