CUPA

What CUPA does

CUPA, legally CoffeeAir Limited, is a mobile-first SaaS platform that digitizes operations for independent coffee shops, offering electronic menus, digital gift cards, mobile ordering, automatic membership enrollment, loyalty rewards, review collection, and store announcements. The platform operates as a unified ecosystem combining a consumer-facing discovery app (iOS and Android) with a merchant-facing management app and web portal, enabling shops to replicate Starbucks-style mobile app functionality at SMB price points. Technology is built around a self-serve product with merchant onboarding via Google Forms, Stripe-integrated payment processing (3.4% + 2.35 HKD per transaction), and weekly merchant payouts for gift card top-ups. Revenue is generated through a three-tier subscription model: a Free tier for basic listing, a Basic tier at HK$500/month (billed annually with first 6 months free) bundling all platform features plus a 12-post social media marketing package, and a Professional tier with custom pricing for branded iOS and Android app development. The company serves independent coffee shops as its primary vertical, currently operates primarily in Hong Kong with a Vancouver, Canada contact address, has 1-10 employees, and is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding.

Name

CUPA

Legal name

CoffeeAir Limited

Website

https://cupa.app

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CUPA (CoffeeAir Limited) is a mobile-first SaaS platform that digitizes independent coffee shops with electronic menus, mobile ordering, digital gift cards, and loyalty programs, serving SMB merchants primarily in Hong Kong via a freemium subscription model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coffee Shop SaaS

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beverage Service (Coffee/Tea/Juice) & Refreshment Stations (HSACAGAJ)

Keywords

• Coffee shop digitization
• Mobile ordering platform
• Loyalty program software
• Digital gift cards
• Merchant management SaaS

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Plans: Monthly subscription tiers for merchants - Free (basic listing), Basic (HK$500/month with full features), Professional (custom pricing with branded apps)
2. Payment Processing: Credit card fees collected via Stripe payment gateway - 3.4% + 2.35 HKD per transaction

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CUPA operates a mobile-first SaaS platform that enables independent coffee shops to digitize their operations through a customer-facing mobile app, merchant-facing mobile app, and web-based management dashboard. The platform bundles electronic menus, mobile ordering, digital gift cards, an automated membership system, a digital rewards program, review collection, store announcements, and merchant management tools into a single subscription offering for small and mid-sized coffee shop operators.

Product overview

CUPA is a digital platform for coffee shop management that operates as a unified ecosystem combining customer-facing mobile apps (CUPA App and Merchant App) with backend management tools. The platform's core modules include Electronic Menu, Digital Gift Cards, Mobile Ordering, Membership System, Digital Rewards Program, Review Collection, and Store Announcements. An optional Social Media Marketing Package add-on provides branded content creation. The Basic Plan tier at HK$500/month bundles all core features together, while the Professional tier adds custom mobile app development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CUPA Customer App

Quantifiable outcome

• Starbucks mobile app revenue accounts for 20% of total sales (market benchmark)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe is the payment processing partner for CUPA, handling credit card transactions. Stripe charges 3.4% + 2.35 HKD per transaction fee for processing payments.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ChowNow: ChowNow provides commission-free online ordering systems and marketing tools for independent restaurants. It is a direct competitor to CUPA on mobile ordering and customer engagement for SMB food-and-beverage merchants.
• Olo: Olo is a SaaS platform powering direct digital ordering for restaurant brands. It shares CUPA's mobile ordering, loyalty, and guest engagement DNA, though Olo focuses on larger chains rather than independents.
• Punchh: Punchh (ParTech) builds digital loyalty, gift, and engagement solutions for restaurant chains. CUPA's loyalty rewards, gift card, and member system mirror Punchh's offering at a smaller-vertical, SMB scale.
• Paytronix: Paytronix is a loyalty, gift card, and online ordering platform for restaurants and convenience stores. CUPA's gift card, loyalty, and member management modules overlap directly with Paytronix's core capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Toast: Toast is a leading restaurant POS platform with built-in online ordering, gift cards, and loyalty modules. It competes with CUPA for restaurant and coffee-shop digitization dollars, with a much larger product surface and capital base.
• Clover: Clover (Fiserv) offers POS hardware with app-marketplace ordering, gift card, and loyalty solutions for SMBs including cafes. It is comparable to CUPA on merchant digitization outcomes even though it is hardware-led rather than mobile-first.
• Lightspeed Restaurant: Lightspeed provides cloud POS and commerce tools for full-service and quick-service restaurants including cafes. Comparable to CUPA on the digitization and front-of-house features it offers coffee shops.
• Square for Restaurants: Square (Block) provides POS, online ordering, gift cards, and loyalty tools for small food-and-beverage merchants. It overlaps CUPA's mobile ordering, gift card, and loyalty capabilities but as part of a much broader payments and POS suite rather than a coffee-vertical specialist.

Emerging players

• Thanx: Thanx is a digital loyalty and payments platform for restaurants and coffee shops, with integrations to POS systems. It is comparable to CUPA's loyalty and member engagement layer for coffee operators.
• Bbot: Bbot provides online ordering, payment, and table management for restaurants and bars. It overlaps CUPA on the mobile ordering and digital menu use cases for SMB food-and-beverage merchants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cupaapp
• Instagraminstagram.com/cupa.app
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cupatech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CUPA