From class project to pop-up business 

Ideas for new businesses often crop up like daisies for entrepreneurially minded students at the University of Washington Bothell’s School of Business. An essential part of their education is learning how to identify which ones to weed out to make space for the one they want to pursue most. 

For Liam Reinemer, that idea first came about during a group project in his Entrepreneurial Marketing course. Many ideas for hypothetical businesses came up, but there was one that stuck: a matcha cafe. 

“I threw out a lot of ideas because it was just a school project building a business proposition, and nothing real had to ever come out of it,” said Reinemer, who graduated with a degree in Business Administration in March 2026. “But as I started working on the idea for a matcha cafe, I felt more passionate about it and felt like it was something that I could really do.” 

Since its conception, the project has grown into the real-world pop-up business — Nonda Matcha — at the hands of Reinemer and his friends.

A taste of Japan 

Partway through his undergraduate education at UW Bothell, Reinemer moved abroad to study in Japan for a year. Among his favorite things about Japan was the cafe culture and the time he spent studying with friends over a cup of matcha. 

He missed that culture when he returned to campus. The idea of opening a cafe stayed in the back of his mind until the Entrepreneurial Marketing course, taught by Christy Johnson, affiliate instructor in the School of Business.

His co-founder and groupmate in the project, Leatha Dunkin, had also lived abroad in Asia and shared his love for the cafe scene. 

“It was natural for us to collaborate,” said Dunkin (Business Administration ’26). “I love the logistical side of marketing and building brand awareness. Since I am pursuing a career in marketing, this was a great step to learn how to develop a brand’s purpose, target market and mission statement.” 

Dunkin helped bring the idea to life from scratch and provide initial input. When Reinemer decided to move forward, Dunkin gave him her blessing but had to step back from launching the business idea after giving birth to her son. 

The value of scalability 

Encouraged by Johnson to continue working on the project, Reinemer did an independent study with her during his final quarter. 

“Coming back to UW Bothell after Japan, I felt ready to try different things and start a business,” he said. “Christy pushed me to do independent study and said that, if I felt really passionate about my idea and the work I did in class, I could absolutely start my own business.” 

While he didn’t have the capacity or the money to open an entire cafe, he played with the notion of scalability in his independent study. He arrived at the idea of doing a pop-up business and connected with some of his friends and fellow classmates to help make it happen.

“We started doing very experimental things and doing pop-ups, and it was a nice cost-effective way for us to kind of figure out how to actually run a business,” Reinemer said. “It gave me and my team the real-world experience without the full commitment of starting a brick-and-mortar business. 

“It’s also been really fun. We’ve built a community around this project as well and our teammates just love working together.” 

From the baristas to social media and marketing support, Nonda Matcha now has an entire team of volunteers supporting it — most of whom are current or former UW Bothell students. 

Teamwork pays off 

Among Reinemer’s regular team members is his friend and trusted consultant, Jessica Phounsanoy. She confers with him on a lot of the financial and strategic portions of the business and works as a barista at the pop-up events.

“I joined his team not just because I like what he does, but because Liam has a really good personality that draws people in,” said Phounsanoy (Business Administration, ’26). “It’s been fun, but it’s also scary because Liam is my good friend, and he self-funded so that was a really big investment on his part. It made me want to do well and do better for him.” 

The first event was especially daunting, she recalled. The team wasn’t sure if anyone would show up. But when they looked outside the window and saw a line of people waiting, she knew their efforts had paid off. 

One of the things that makes Nonda unique is the flavors it offers, Phounsanoy said. While they use a lot of Japanese flavors, Reinemer also draws inspiration from his Filipino heritage — using ingredients such as calamansi, a citrus fruit native to the Philippines. The team rotates flavors, featuring both new and returning drink specials at each pop-up.

Now that her son is a bit older, Dunkin also continues to support Nonda as a barista and marketing coordinator. 

“I really enjoy bringing an idea to life. I love the matcha community —and meeting and serving people in the Seattle area,” she said. “It’s incredible to see how far Liam and Nonda Matcha have come in such a short time.” 

Lessons learned, connections made 

While he’s uncertain what the future may hold for Nonda, Reinemer and his team try to do as many pop-up events as their busy schedules and day jobs will allow. 

Each pop-up is a learning experience, he said, and whether Nonda grows into something bigger or not, the lessons learned will carry over to whatever comes next. 

“I loved going to UW Bothell and everything my classes taught me, but more than anything it’s the network that UW Bothell gave me and being able to bring everyone together who really made this happen — as well as the push that Christy Johnson gave me to do what I am most passionate about,” he said. 

“I’m really grateful for the experiences I’ve had, the team I’ve built and for taking a risk and pushing myself to do it.”