Sensori, the non-alcoholic tonic created by longtime friends Shanna Watkins, Ashlyn Knox, and Darean Rhodes, has spent less than a year on the market, and arrived at CultureCon to stake a claim. The sleek beverage brand is redefining what is means to “have a drink,” and in a trillion dollar industry historically built around alcohol, Sensori is carving out a lane where wellness and culture coexist.

The festivities started with a celebration at Little Ways in SoHo, marking the launch of Play with a creator dinner and afterparty. This led into a two-day activation that included a VIP Sensori Lounge where thought leaders like Simi Muhumuza led intimate conversations, along with a Chase Ink marketplace booth where attendees could sip samples, buy product, and experience the brand up close.

In the months following the company’s soft launch in Febuary, the founders of Sensori have raised over $200,000 in capital to support scaling production and marketing efforts. For founders of color, especially women founders, capital raised is validation in an ecosystem where funding disparities are real and persistent. Sensori’s early wins speak to both product-market fit and savvy brand building.

The Sensori team has also done a fantastic job of organic marketing on social media that has amplified efforts and driven demand. These are three visionary founders stepping into an industry ripe for disruption, and doing it with cultural relevance, making their non-alcoholic beverage aspirational.

Part of Sensori’s appeal is the way it frames two moods rather than just one product. Connect is the slow sip — the wine-like blend that complements self care nights, dinner parties, and long conversations. While Play, launched just a few weeks ago, is the high note — the drink for fun.

Together, the two flavors form a sensory language of their own, not just what you drink, but how you feel when you drink it. Connect and Play offer a two flavor philosophy that maps onto the emotional rhythms of modern social life. That simple duality makes it easy for consumers to integrate Sensori into their lives rather than positioning it as an abstinence product.

It’s the difference between offering an alternative and creating a new category of choice, one where wellness and social life are not mutually exclusive.

We were at CultureCon to cover the brand’s activation(s), and Sensori’s VIP Feel-Good Lounge became a pause point for curious attendees. Across two days, they staffed two activations where visitors sampled Sensori blends and where shoppers could buy product on the spot. The ladies showed up with family and friends and took the culture conference by storm, quickly becoming a fan favorite.

The partnership between CultureCon and Chase Ink to create an on-site marketplace gave brands like Sensori the retail visibility that can translate into meaningful early revenue, and real D2C feedback. At the Chase Ink marketplace, Sensori’s booth drew shoppers eager to buy the product.

Sensori’s founders described CultureCon as a milestone. It was the brand’s first major cultural activation since launch, and their momentum suggests more activations and retail rollouts are likely.

CultureCon is not a typical trade show, it’s a cultural summit for creators and brands. For Sensori, that made it an ideal proving ground. Inside the Sensori Lounge, attendees gathered for “office hours” conversation sessions where content creators and thought leaders such as Candis Grace were among the names connected to the weekend’s conversational programming, helping Sensori fold cultural conversation into a tasting experience.

Given their early wins, the brand is positioned well. But the larger success story will be cultural: can Sensori help reshape how communities gather, without the hangover? If the CultureCon weekend was any indicator, the answer is trending toward yes.