Technology

Virgin Mobile today announced the launch of their new in-app customer support chat service, designed to make it easier for customers to get the help they need.

You can get quick answers to common questions by simply tapping the chat option in the app to chat to a customer care member directly, thus skipping the need to make any phone calls.

Virgin

TechCrunchDisrupt SF (Sept. 5-7) is our most ambitious event ever. And if we&re sure of one thing, itthat people in the startup scene will extract more insights and inspiration from this Disrupt than any before. Herewhy…

1. More, better programming. For the first time ever at Disrupt, we have two stages, plus two additional off-stage &Q-A& areas where Disrupt attendees can ask questions directly to speakers. SequoiaDoug Leone, BumbleWhitney Wolfe Herd, SinovationDr. Kai-Fu Lee, 23andMeAnne Wojcicki are just a few of the stellar interviews TechCrunch editors will conduct on stage. Disrupt will be live streamed, but only Disrupt pass holders will be able to catch sessions they missed via video-on-demand.
2. Precision-guided networking. We spent years refining CrunchMatch, TechCrunchfounder-investor matching and meeting system, and we&ve got it down to a science that has already produced thousands of meetings. Investors,use the CrunchMatch/Brella app to find the the founders and startup ideas you&re looking for, request a meeting, get the thumbs up, and boom you have a time and an assigned meeting table in the CrunchMatch meeting area.
3. Startup Battlefield and Startup Alley. We&ve already selected the 20 startups that will compete in Startup Battlefield, and though the list is under wraps until the start of Disrupt, trust us itan amazing field of contestants & the fruits of a very deep, global recruitment effort. And Startup Alley will have more than 1,000 companies exhibiting across a dozen tracks & AI, mobility, blockchain, fintech & and each has Top Picks & the standouts that TechCruncheditors chose to exhibit free of charge. (Learn more about exhibiting in Startup Alley.)
4. Comfortable digs. We built past Disrupts in pier warehouses, but this year we&re moving to the glistening, super comfortable Moscone West, where we have 3x the floorspace, which means spacious, sunny lounge areas where attendees can relax, charge gear and catch up with fellow attendees.
5. The right pass for you. For the first time, Disrupt is offering passes with features and prices designed to suit different attendees, like founders, investors, all around innovators and more. Plus, passes come with access to discounted San Francisco hotel rooms. Right now, early birds prices apply, so do don&t wait. Get your pass now.

These days, it seems like everyone with extra cash has some kind of pricey drinking habit. It might be fine wine, craft beer or cocktails. Or it could come in the form of coconut water, cold-pressed juice or the latest frothy caffeinated concoction.

No matter what your preference, startups and their backers likely have you covered.

In a follow-up to ourstoryearlier this month about food startups gobbling up venture funding,Crunchbase Newsis taking a look at beverage companies guzzling capital. We found that while drinkables receive a smaller portion of funding than edibles, itstill a sector that draws hundreds of millions of dollars in annual investment.

Where are investors pouring all that money Some unlikely places. For instance, it appears the largest funding recipient so far this year is a China-based chain calledHey Teathatwell known for a specialty called cheese tea. (An unfortunately named, slightly salty iced drink that aCrunchbase Newsteam sampling determined was actually pretty tasty.)

Besides cheese tea, we found startups are also raising millions to bottle deep ocean water, customize instant coffee and make your party punch more portable.

Bottom line: So long as there are profit margins to squeeze out, the quest continues for new ways to get you drunk, hydrated or caffeinated. Below, we look at whattrending on all these fronts.

Hydrate

Venture investors and startup entrepreneurs are betting there are highly scalable businesses to be built in doling out more exotic varieties of water, coconut-based beverages and other drinks to hydrate calorie-conscious consumers.

An analysis of Crunchbase data unearthedat least a dozen companies developing new varieties of water and fitness drinks that have raised funding in recent quarters.

Funding data reveals that investors still see the potential for significant returns from coconut water. The largest round in the hydration category went toHarmless Harvest, a seller of fair trade, organic coconut water and probiotic drinks that recently raised $30 million. The funding comes as the sector is on a tear, with the U.S. spending alone on coconut waterprojectedto reach $2 billion next year.

We also saw a couple of deals involving startups offering alternatives to bottled or tap water. The most heavily capitalized one to receive funding in the past couple of years appears to beFloWater, a Denver-based startup that provides pure water refill stations and has raised about $8 million to date. Meanwhile, bottled water is still generating attention, too, as evidenced by the $5.5 million round late last year forKona Deep, a bottler of deep ocean water.

Intoxicate

You may need water to survive, but if you&re looking to secure venture capital, it helps to throw in a bit of alcohol.

Since last year, venture investors have poured more than $300 million into an assortment of companies providing alcoholic beverages, drinking gadgetry and services to connect consumers with booze.Crunchbase Newshighlighted about adozenthat raised sizable rounds, along with one hangovercurestartup.

Some of the larger funding rounds are for companies that don&t make alcohol; instead, these startups offer easier ways to select and buy it. These includeVivino, a popular wine rating app, as well asDrizly andSaucey, two ordering and delivery services.

There are emerging brands in the mix, too, includingBeatBox Beverages, a purveyor of party punch in portable packages;Milestone Brands, a producer of organic tequilas and other spirits; andPlum, which has a gadget for dispensing good wine by the glass.

Caffeinate

If too much drinking makes you sleepy, let caffeine come to the rescue. Venture investors, known to be heavy consumers of caffeine, also seem to like investing in the stuff.

Using Crunchbase data, wehighlightedmore than a dozen companies in the coffee and tea space that have secured good-sized rounds in roughly the past year. They range from fast-growing chains, like ChinaHey Tea, to packaged drinks, like non-dairy blended drink makerWillow Cup, to instant beverage innovators, like Sudden Coffee. We even found a blockchain company in the mix,Crypto N Kafe, which aims to connect coffee farmers and consumers directly.

Itnot a bad area for exits, either. The most recent significant exit wasBlue Bottle Coffee, a venture-backed brand known for really, really strong brews that sold a majority stake to Nestlé last September at a valuation of over $700 million.

Nourish

One additional beverage category in which we saw a high level of activity was in meal-replacement and nutrition drinks. Overall, we found at least ahalf-dozen companiesdeveloping nutritional drinks that have raised funding in recent quarters.

In this sector, probably the best-known startup name isSoylent, which has raised over $70 million for a line of drinks marketed to consumers who don&t have the time or inclination to sit down for a traditional meal. We also found a potential rival, meal-replacement beverage makerAmple, which secured angel funding last month.

The biggest round in the past couple of months for the space, however, went to REBBL, a startup that raised $20 million in May for its line of bottled drinks featuring health-promoting herbs, protein and coconut.

Mix it all up: Caffeinated, full and buzzed

Beverage investments, like everything else, aren&t always a home run for VCs. The demise of juicer startupJuicerolast year offers a cautionary tale that large rounds don&t always translate into compelling business models.

That said, beverage purveyors don&t have to worry much about demand drying up. People will always be thirsty. And while we typically quench our thirst with simple tap or filtered water, wherethe fun (or the massive exit potential) in that

Methodology

Our analysis focused primarily on companies that have secured funding in the past year; however, we also included some rounds outside those parameters that were exceptionally large or noteworthy in other ways.