Speakeasy

What Speakeasy does

Speakeasy Co. is a San Diego-based wine and spirits technology company and ecommerce platform founded in 2015, now operating as part of Flaviar Checkout following a 2024 acquisition by Flaviar. The platform provides a compliant, end-to-end ecommerce infrastructure purpose-built for beverage alcohol, certified as a Shopify Plus partner and operating across all three tiers of the U.S. alcohol distribution system. Core products include Flaviar Checkout (a compliant checkout layer enabling brands to sell from their own websites), Flaviar Ads (targeted marketing placements across Flaviar-powered sites), and Flaviar Insights (analytics on buyer interests and transactions), supplemented by an offline POS module. Underlying technology combines Shopify Plus infrastructure with custom compliance logic, intelligent order management, and a fulfillment network of 30,000+ vetted retailers across the U.S. and E.U.

The company monetizes through four revenue streams: transaction fees on the Flaviar Checkout platform, advertising placements via Flaviar Ads, marketplace commissions across Flaviar.com, Caskers, and Wine-Searcher, and data analytics services through Flaviar Insights. Go-to-market is direct B2B sales with quote-based pricing and free demos, targeting three customer segments: alcohol producers and brands (300+ launched DTC via the platform), retailers seeking online reach beyond physical stores, and publishers of alcohol content seeking audience monetization. The platform reaches 500,000+ annual buyers across its network.

Speakeasy raised $8.8 million across three seed rounds (2021 and 2023) from investors including Trog Hawley Capital, Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, and InvestBev. Leadership comprises co-founders Josh Jacobs (CEO) and Michael Bowen (COO), supported by CFO Cara Morrison and CTO Mark Tholking. The company is headquartered in San Diego with operational reach spanning the United States, European Union, and additional international markets.

Name

Speakeasy

Legal name

Speakeasy Co.

Website

https://speakeasyco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Speakeasy is a beverage alcohol ecommerce platform, now part of Flaviar Checkout, that provides compliant DTC infrastructure on Shopify Plus for wine and spirits producers, retailers, and publishers across the U.S. and E.U.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alcohol E-commerce Platform

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Alcohol & Adult Beverage Delivery (CRAHAIAH)

Keywords

• Alcohol e-commerce
• Beverage technology
• Wine marketplace
• Spirits platform
• DTC alcohol sales

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Platform/Checkout Fees: Revenue generated from providing ecommerce platform services to producers, retailers, and publishers, including Flaviar Checkout for compliant alcohol sales on Shopify Plus
2. Advertising Revenue: Revenue from Flaviar Ads platform enabling targeted marketing placements across Flaviar-powered sites and marketplaces
3. Marketplace Commissions: Access to Flaviar.com, Caskers, and Wine-Searcher marketplaces enables brands to reach high-spending buyers, with Flaviar handling fulfillment of orders and customer support
4. Data Analytics Services: Flaviar Insights provides in-depth data on buyer interests and transactions, supporting business decision-making for alcohol industry clients

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Speakeasy is an e-commerce technology company that builds checkout, marketplace, and digital infrastructure for the wine and spirits industry. Following its acquisition by Flaviar, the company now operates as Flaviar Checkout, powering alcohol marketplaces including Flaviar.com, Caskers, and Wine-Searcher, and providing compliance-enabled commerce tools to producers, retailers, and brands selling alcoholic beverages online.

Product overview

Speakeasy, now part of Flaviar Checkout, operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture serving the beverage alcohol e-commerce industry. The core product is Flaviar Checkout, a compliant e-commerce platform enabling direct-to-consumer sales for alcohol brands, integrated with Shopify Plus. This core platform is supplemented by two add-on modules: Flaviar Ads for targeted marketing campaigns across the platform's network, and Flaviar Insights for analytics and business intelligence. The platform serves three customer segments: producers (direct-to-consumer sales), retailers (expanding beyond physical stores), and publishers (monetizing content audiences). Speakeasy's original e-commerce technology was acquired and integrated into the Flaviar Checkout platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flaviar Checkout E-commerce checkout and commerce infrastructure technology for alcohol producers, retailers, and brands, handling age verification, state-by-state tax compliance, and shipping restrictions for beverage alcohol sales.
• Flaviar.com Online spirits marketplace and membership subscription club for consumers, offering curated tasting boxes and bottles from distilleries.
• Caskers Online wine marketplace aggregating wines from multiple producers and retailers for consumer purchase, offering a broad selection across price points.
• Wine-Searcher Wine price comparison and search engine that aggregates listings from wine retailers globally, helping consumers locate and compare offers for specific wines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wine-Searcher upgraded to DTC marketplace in less than a month
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Shopify PluscoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified Shopify Plus partner bringing the world's foremost ecommerce platform and highest-converting checkout into compliant alcohol sales. Flaviar Checkout is built on Shopify Plus infrastructure.
• FlaviarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpeakeasy is now part of Flaviar Checkout, combining the best of both platforms under one roof. This integration brings Speakeasy's capabilities into Flaviar's comprehensive DTC solution for beverage alcohol, creating the most comprehensive platform in the industry.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Caskers: Premium spirits marketplace powered by Flaviar. Operates in the same online alcohol commerce space as a Flaviar-operated marketplace, illustrating an internal example of how Speakeasy's underlying platform monetizes end-consumer alcohol transactions.
• Vivino: Wine marketplace and data platform connecting consumers, retailers and wineries. Comparable as a wine-focused ecommerce-adjacent platform leveraging marketplace and data monetization similar to Flaviar Ads and Flaviar Insights.

Others

• Instacart: Broad grocery delivery platform with an alcohol delivery vertical. Operates as enabling infrastructure for alcohol retail rather than a DTC platform, but competes for the same consumer alcohol-spend occasions and brand partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Shopify: Underlying ecommerce platform provider for Speakeasy via Shopify Plus partnership. A broader incumbent whose enterprise roadmap directly shapes Speakeasy's capabilities and whose own alcohol-compliance expansion could compete with the Speakeasy offering.
• BevMo!: Multi-state alcohol retail chain with growing ecommerce operations. A larger incumbent in alcohol retail that competes for the same alcohol-brand relationships and end-buyer wallet share Speakeasy enables through its DTC platform.

Regional players

• Saucey: On-demand alcohol delivery platform operating primarily in select US metros. Comparable business model in online alcohol transactions but with a regional delivery-led focus versus Speakeasy's national B2B platform model.
• Minibar Delivery: Alcohol delivery service with city-level geographic focus. Comparable in online alcohol commerce but skewed toward last-mile delivery rather than B2B platform enablement of brand DTC storefronts.

Direct peers

• Drizly: Online alcohol marketplace and delivery platform (owned by Uber). Operates in the same online alcohol commerce space Speakeasy enables, with overlapping focus on compliant alcohol transactions and brand-level merchandising.
• ReserveBar: Alcohol ecommerce platform enabling premium spirits and wine brands to sell DTC with built-in compliance. Directly comparable to Speakeasy's B2B alcohol ecommerce enablement model, serving the same producer customer base with checkout and marketplace functionality.
• Wine.com: Large online wine retailer with significant DTC and marketplace operations. Comparable as a major online alcohol commerce operator and potential customer/competitor for the same wine-producer relationships Speakeasy enables.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Speakeasy_Co
• Facebookfacebook.com/SpeakeasyCompany

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Speakeasy