PrintWithMe launched in 2014 as a way to make printing more accessible by bringing wireless printers to apartment buildings and cafes. The Chicago startup found its service in even more demand during Covid as workers could no longer rely on office printers, and now it has a new offering to bring another common office amenity back to the remote worker: coffee.
PrintWithMe has launched SipWithMe, a coffee kiosk it's bringing to high-rise apartment buildings. It has so far opened machines at five Chicago apartments, with more on the way, CEO Jonathan Treble said. The device can make 20 different coffee drinks, from regular coffee to flavored lattes. Tenants can scan a QR code and order coffee from their phone. They receive a certain number of free drinks, courtesy of the apartment building, before they have to pay. Treble said building managers typically provide 10 free cups of coffee to each tenant per month.
The new feature also comes with a name change for the startup, which is now simply WithMe Inc. as it expands beyond printing.
The startup went through one of the more aggressive pandemic pivots last year when it began offering printing delivery services when coffee shops closed. In April 2020, its wireless printers in coffee shops represented about 50% of the startup's revenue. When those locations closed, the company's revenue was "literally decimated," Treble said.
Today, a majority of its revenue comes from apartment buildings, who utilize the company's machines to offer printing to tenants. Despite our increasingly digital world, people still need to print, Treble explained. And with many remote workers lacking an at-home printer and unable to print at an office, PrintWithMe is offering a needed service to an increasingly distributed workforce.
"People are going back to offices, but the toothpaste is out of the tube," he said. "Hybrid and remote is definitely here in a big way and will continue to grow over the next 5-10 years."
Treble said the startup's revenue has doubled in the last year as its printing business has grown. Its printers are now in 2,200 locations, and can be found in all 50 states. More than 300,000 people have printed over 10 million pages of paper using PrintWithMe since it launched in 2014. It doubled its headcount in 2021 to 35 employees.
The startup is eyeing additional services it can bring to apartments and coworking spaces under its WithMe umbrella. Treble declined to name specific products in mind, but noted that the company is eyeing additional vending services, which could include food or other office items needed by remote workers.
