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Comment by tonydiv | Hacker News Reader

It amazes me that VCs find this type of business interesting because it's not defensible in many of the ways a software company is. I am also not sure why the company wants to raise this much money -- they need to continue growing like crazy (outside of tech regions where engineers who are unwilling to cook live) or go bust.

Nonetheless, the drink is ok. I tried it for a few months. Instead of avoiding cooking, I have embraced it, and now cook incredible meals for $3-$4 using my Joule sous vide. Eating real food has changed my mood significantly.

If anyone in SF wants to buy a whole box of Soylent Original (white bottles), I will sell an extra I have for 40% off. Must pick up, located at Chavez/Bryant.

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> it's not defensible in many of the ways a software company is

As a customer, I don't think about that at all. They may open source their recipes and products, but buying bottles from them is still relatively cheap and by far the most convenient option. Also, whenever mistakes do happen, their support is excellent. This is why they'll continue to get my business.

you will begin to consider alternatives when they are available, and at a lower cost

I'm not so sure — alternatives at a comparable price are already on the market. I could make it myself and save more but it's not worth the tradeoff of time and inconvenience to save $1–2.

Personally my price sensitivity for it is pretty low. At $2–3 per meal, it's cheaper than any other meals besides breakfast throughout the week.

There's a lot of DIY recipes and some are supposedly just as complete and a whole lot cheaper: https://www.completefoods.co/diy/recipes/brets-soylent-oat-r...

Do they solve the shelf life problem though?

This is the biggest pain point I experienced with the powder version of Soylent — it's inconvenient that the taste goes off and it starts going bad after just 2–3 days whereas the bottles are good for months or more.

> It amazes me that VCs find this type of business interesting

There are a lot of companies out there that aren't run of the mill tech companies but are still able to massage their way into that category (another example is We Work). There is so much money chasing outsized returns that companies/founder with a good plan, strong team, large enough addressable market and the right network are close enough for many VCs.

Sorta. To my understanding WeWork has largely been funded by real estate groups looking for more return. I guess Soylent could find funding from CPG/consumer funds, but I'm amazed software VCs are interested.

I've owned an Anova for a bit more than a year. Amortized over all the meals I've cooked, mostly super cheap cuts of meat that have been cooked over 24-72 hours to incredible quality, I would say that it is probably the essential tool in my kitchen.

> mostly super cheap cuts of meat that have been cooked over 24-72 hours to incredible quality

People getting excited over devices that do what ovens or hearths do at a 24x slower pace? Figures the popularity of soy formula.

(And yes, my oven turns even the toughest cut into "incredible quality" in 3h tops =)

I would defend sous vide by saying that I've been able to have much better control of the internal temperature. For example, I can cook short ribs at 72 hours at close-to-pasteurization temperatures to get a very unique consistency.

What meals are you cooking for $3-4 on the Joule? Looking at getting a Joule soon.

Any meal you can cook without the Joule using other cooking methods. 8 oz of chicken breast (~$1.50), 6 oz of brussel sprouts (~$0.75), 8 oz of potatoes (~$0.25). That's a $2.50 meal. Add half an onion, some bell pepper, some spices, and oil for cooking and it probably comes out to less than $3.

Of course, those are average food prices in the US so YMMV. If you're in NYC or LA/SF, it's going to cost more than that no matter where you shop.

Sounds reasonable and delicious. I'm in Atlanta and those prices are similar. Thanks!

Sous vide burssels sprouts?

I mean, sous vide is amazing, but have you ever had your sprouts crispy? I used to be pretty indifferent to them until my fiancee cooked them up crispy.

Hmm... Now I'm thinking about food, oh look, its lunchtime.

I have a sous vide, but it doesn't have bluetooth or whatever Joule has. It seems unnecessary to make all appliances smart when a knob to set the temperature and a timer on the phone works just as well.

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