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Qi Aerista
Techstars '19Hong Kong, HK · Founded 2013 · 5 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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Qi Aerista manufactures automatic tea brewing machines that enable users to brew tea consistently through a connected device and mobile app. The company serves tea enthusiasts globally with hardware, software, and premium tea products.
Also known as Keyway Innovations
Founders & leadership
Qi Aerista was founded in 2013 by Dr. Rick Ha and Karen Wan.
Investors · 1
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Company profile
researched Sep 2026Qi Aerista, developed by Hong Kong hardware startup Keyway Innovations, makes the Qi Aerista Smart Tea Brewer, an app-connected countertop appliance that automates the brewing of loose-leaf and bagged tea. The device combines a borosilicate glass body, food-grade stainless steel, cast aluminium handle and a touch panel with nine preset tea programs covering different tea types, and handles heating, infusion, tea-water separation and up to 60 minutes of keep-warm automatically. It doubles as a variable-temperature kettle, with a temperature range of 25-100degC, brew times of 2-15 minutes, a maximum capacity of 0.70L and 1000W maximum power, shipped in 100-120V and 220-240V models under a one-year warranty.
At the core of the product is the company's patented Aero-Brew infusion system, which the company describes as controlling water temperature, infusion time, water flow and tea leaf immersion. A companion iOS/Android app connects over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and adds remote control and real-time tracking, per-degree temperature and per-second time customisation, brewing scheduling up to 24 hours ahead, four brewing modes (heat and brew, boil and brew, boil and cool, heat only), alerts, and an in-app tea library. Alongside the brewer, the company sells single-origin black teas such as Dianhong Pagoda, Golden Monkey, Keemun Gongfu and Lapsang Souchong, plus replacement parts including filters, flow tube assemblies, infuser handles and power adapters.
Founding story
Founder Rick Ha grew up in Hong Kong, a city he describes as combining Eastern and Western tea cultures, and recalls badly brewed tea spoiling family meals and other occasions. A lifelong tea drinker with a PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, he set out to build a smart tea maker able to control the four key elements of brewing — temperature, time, water flow and tea leaf immersion — and began the startup journey with his wife and co-founder Karen Wan in 2013.
Business model
Direct-to-consumer hardware sales complemented by consumables and spare parts: the Qi Aerista Smart Tea Brewer is listed at $199 on the company's own online store, with hand-picked premium teas priced from roughly $4 to $9 per pack and accessories such as replacement filters ($20), flow tube assemblies ($15), infuser handles ($5) and power adapters ($5). The brewer is sold in production batches, with customers joining a newsletter waitlist when models are sold out. A customer rewards program, Qi Rewards, is advertised as launching in Q2 2026.
Revenue comes from one-off sales of the $199 smart tea brewer and repeat sales of loose-leaf teas, replacement filters and other accessories through the company's direct online store.
Traction
The 2016 Kickstarter campaign raised $1,343,877 from 1,180 backers against a $600,000 goal (224% of target). Following a July 2018 market launch, the company reports shipping thousands of brewers and tea packages to more than 66 countries and regions, and all brewer models were sold out at the time of review.
Latest developments
All brewer voltage models are listed as sold out on the company store, with sign-ups open for the next production batch, while teas and spare parts remain available. The company is promoting a Qi Rewards loyalty program slated to launch in Q2 2026.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
A niche consumer IoT appliance maker in the specialty tea segment, describing its offering as an "IoTea" experience combining brewer hardware, a mobile app and curated teas; it has won the iF Design Award and the Golden Pin Design Award Design Mark.
The company positions the product around its patented Aero-Brew circulative infusion system, which regulates temperature, water flow, immersion and steeping time, and a tea-water separation structure intended to avoid over- or under-steeping. Other stated points of difference are preset programs for multiple tea types including specialty drinks such as Hong Kong-style milk tea, bubble tea and lemon iced tea, granular app control, and industrial design recognised by the iF Design Award and the Golden Pin Design Award Design Mark.
Technology
Patented Aero-Brew circulative infusion system controlling temperature, water flow, immersion and brew time, paired with a tea-water separation architecture. The brewer offers nine on-device preset programs, a scratch-resistant touch panel, keep-warm up to 60 minutes and variable-temperature kettle operation from 25 to 100degC. Wi-Fi (2.4GHz) connectivity links to Android and iOS apps supporting remote control, real-time brew tracking, 1-degree and 1-second customisation, scheduling up to 24 hours ahead, four brewing modes and a tea library. Construction uses borosilicate glass, food-grade stainless steel, cast aluminium and FDA-approved silicone rubber; the unit is CE certified.
Go-to-market
The product was introduced through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter in late 2016, supported by a press release, and subsequently sold direct to consumers through the company's own e-commerce site in limited production batches with an email waitlist for restocks. Marketing draws on design awards, customer testimonials and third-party endorsement from tea trade journalist Dan Bolton, editor and publisher of Tea Journey magazine.
Tea drinkers who want consistent results without manual brewing steps, ranging from newcomers unfamiliar with correct brewing temperatures and times to enthusiasts seeking precise control; also users of specialty tea drinks such as milk tea and bubble tea, and customers with dexterity limitations who find manual brewing difficult.
Geography
Headquartered in Hong Kong, with worldwide shipping from its online store and free standard shipping to the US, Canada, UK and selected countries. The company states it has shipped to over 66 countries and regions; customer testimonials come from Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom, and the brewer is offered in US/Canada, EU and UK voltage variants.
History
Rick Ha, who holds a PhD in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Canada, began work on an automatic tea-making solution in 2013 after growing up with Hong Kong's tea culture. Keyway Innovations was founded the same year as a Hong Kong-based hardware startup led by Ha as Founder and CEO together with co-founder Karen Wan, a CPA and Certified Tea Evaluator. After about five years of research, prototyping and product development, the team developed the patented Aero-Brew system. The product was announced on Kickstarter in November 2016 with shipping to backers initially targeted for June 2017, and the company states its market launch occurred in July 2018. Since launch it reports shipping thousands of brewers and tea packages internationally.
Risks & controversies
Crowdfunding shipping was originally targeted for June 2017 while the company states its market launch took place in July 2018, indicating delivery later than initially announced. The product line is currently out of stock across all voltage models, with sales dependent on future production batches.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Related companies · 1
Companies working in the same space as Qi Aerista.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsQi Aerista states it has won the iF Design Award and the Golden Pin Design Award Design Mark.
The company states its market launch took place in July 2018; since then it has shipped thousands of brewers and tea packages internationally.
The Qi Aerista smart tea brewer campaign raised $1,343,877 on Kickstarter from 1,180 backers, reaching 224% of its $600,000 goal.
$1.3M source ↗
Keyway Innovations announced the Kickstarter launch of Qi Aerista, a WiFi-enabled smart tea maker offered to backers from $99 per unit until December 14, 2016, with a planned retail price of $239 and backer shipping targeted for June 2017.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Qi Aeristaqiaerista.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Qi Aerista do?
- Hong Kong hardware startup making the Qi Aerista app-connected automatic tea brewer plus a line of loose-leaf teas.
- Who founded Qi Aerista?
- Qi Aerista was founded by Dr. Rick Ha, Karen Wan in 2013.
- Who are Qi Aerista's investors?
- Qi Aerista's investors include Techstars.
- Where is Qi Aerista headquartered?
- Qi Aerista is headquartered in Hong Kong, HK.