Voga Coffee has raised $1.6 million to fund its mission to get into coffee shops around the world. Unfortunately, the industry has taken quite a hit, with one research firm reporting the pandemic wiped out a quarter of coffee shop's sales in 2020. For the first time in nine years, the total number of coffee shops in the US is on the decline, according to Bloomberg. Its invention, called Ground Control, is a high-tech batch brewer that aims to produce a more consistently delicious cup of coffee. Adopting the technology, the company argues, would allow cafés to brew coffee at a faster clip and charge a higher price for a top-notch brew.

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