Failure pattern · United States · 2013–2017
Juicero: the $400 juicer you didn't need
Juicero raised about $120 million for a Wi-Fi-connected juice press costing $699. When reporters showed its juice packs could be squeezed by hand just as well, the company closed.
By Shivam Bhandari · Reviewed 31 October 2026 · How we write
by the numbers
- Funding raised
- about $120 million
- Launch price
- $699, later $399
- Price per pack
- about $5–8
- Shutdown
- September 2017
What happened
Juicero was founded in 2013 and raised about $120 million from well-known investors. Its press used proprietary packs of chopped fruit and vegetables, read QR codes, and connected to Wi-Fi. It launched in 2016 at $699, later cut to $399, with packs costing about $5–8 each.
In April 2017 Bloomberg published a video showing that squeezing the packs by hand produced nearly as much juice, nearly as fast. The story went viral and became a symbol of over-engineered start-ups.
Juicero offered refunds and shut down in September 2017.
Timeline
- 2016
Launches at $699.
- 2017
Price cut; Bloomberg video (April); shutdown (September).
what went wrong
- Engineering complexity without a real customer problem.
- Price far above the value delivered.
- Investors backed the founder story over customer evidence.
the lesson
Technology must solve a problem customers care about at a price they'll pay — impressive engineering is not enough.
Apply it to your business
- 1Ask: could customers get the same result more simply?
- 2Match price to the value customers perceive.
- 3Test with real users early and honestly.
Laws at work in this story
Figures are rounded and drawn from public reports, company filings and widely cited coverage at the time. Check the company's latest filings before relying on any number.