Sean Grundy, co-founder and CEO of Bevi, wouldn’t budge despite calls from, ironically, David Cohen, the GiveFirst podcast host. 

Cohen wanted Bevi smart water coolers in more places than just Boston. Grundy wanted to prioritize quality control and customer retention. 

“We wanted our mechanical engineers and electrical engineers close by so they could personally put their eyes on any errors, see what was going wrong and fix it,” said Grundy. 

That was back in 2014 just after participating in Techstars Boston. Grundy’s phased approach ethos worked then and still works today. In fact, Bevi not only survived the pandemic but recently raised $70 million in a series D funding round. 

“The pandemic was brutal,” said Sean Grundy. “It felt like running into a wall.”

Listen in as Grundy and Cohen discuss taking a compassionate approach to crisis leadership, gradual recovery and redefining success … all with only a few liquid-related puns. 

Follow David Cohen on Twitter @davidcohen

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