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Hey, Roman here.

I’m a sober epicurean investing exclusively in no & low-abv specialty beverages — drinks with soul, complexity, flavor and purpose.

Before angel investing, I spent 10 years building the dating app called PURE, which I sold to a PE firm in 2022.

Since early 2024, I run Ace of Cups, my personal investment practice. I invest my own capital first, and when I’m truly excited about a deal, I may invite a few like-minded people from my network to co-invest. *

In our first year, I backed 8 amazing early-stage brands.

MURI 🇩🇰 / PROXIES 🇨🇦 / MAGIC CACTUS 🇺🇸

GHIA 🇺🇸 / FIGLIA 🇺🇸 / DE SOI 🇺🇸

BITE 🇩🇰 / EAT WASTED 🇩🇰

In 2025 I narrowed my focus to no & low-ABV gourmet specialty beverages designed for wine occasions — with a particular obsession for single-origin tea expressions, from Mizudashi-style brews to pét-nat teas.

My first investment of the year: BOUCHE 🇩🇪. Founded in Berlin by Walker Brengel, a Milwaukee-born artist and graduate of the Universität der Künste, BOUCHE started as a fermentation experiment in an art studio and has since grown into a dedicated microbrewery with three distinct lines: kombucha, pét-nat hybrids, and the proxy series.

Are you creating something remarkable in this space? Apply to pitch me!

I’m also writing a book! Coming March 2026: BEYOND WINE: The Gourmand’s Guide to No & Low ABV Specialty Beverages. A manifesto for the next era of fine drinking, featuring 20+ producer profiles, a 100+ bottle atlas, a primer on techniques and ingredients, and case studies from restaurants pioneering world-class non-alcoholic programs.

Subscribe to receive early chapters, behind-the-scenes notes, invitations to tastings, and exclusive updates.