Reborn Coffee names Jung Jae Lim CEO as founder steps down

Reborn Coffee has swapped its founder out of the CEO line and handed the job to Jung Jae Lim, a move that looks less like a clean break than a test of whether the company can keep growing without wobbling. Lim was named chief executive officer effective immediately on June 8, while founder Jay Kim stepped down from his co-CEO role effective June 4.

The company is trying to sell the change as continuity, not disruption. Reborn said the transition was part of a “natural leadership transition” tied to its “strategic direction and priorities,” and chairman Farooq M. Arjomand said the board had full confidence in Lim. That matters because Lim is not coming in cold. He had already been serving as co-CEO and director since March 2026, so this latest move formalizes a handoff that had been building for months.

Lim’s background is the clearest clue to where Reborn wants to go next. The company said he brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in logistics and supply chain management, including oversight of large-scale operations, multi-node distribution networks, and end-to-end supply chain execution. For a coffee chain trying to balance retail, kiosks, cafés, franchise development, and overseas growth, that is not a cosmetic résumé. It signals a company leaning hard into operational discipline.

Reborn also said the leadership change will not affect day-to-day operations, domestic and international expansion plans, franchise development initiatives, or financial reporting obligations. That promise will be measured against the company’s own recent numbers. In its full-year 2025 update, Reborn said total revenue rose 37% to $8.1 million from $5.9 million in 2024, while store revenue climbed 7% to $6.0 million. It also said it generated $0.9 million in service income from Reborn Logistics and $1.1 million in license income.

The balance sheet has been moving too. Reborn said cash and cash equivalents totaled $2.6 million at Dec. 31, 2025, up from $0.2 million a year earlier, and stockholders’ equity rose to $4.6 million from $2.6 million. The company also said it completed a $6.5 million securities subscription at $5.45 per share and eliminated about $1.3 million in derivative liabilities through a warrant exchange and termination transaction. It regained Nasdaq stockholders’ equity compliance on Jan. 14, 2026.

The next phase is supposed to be visible in the stores, not just in the boardroom. Reborn opened its Shenzhen flagship at Tencent’s headquarters campus on March 18, 2026, and it said it had 10 company-owned locations as of Dec. 31, 2025, plus one California franchisee. If Lim’s promotion marks stabilization, the evidence will be steadier execution across those markets. If it marks more turbulence, the warning signs will show up fast in expansion delays, financing pressure, and the pace of new openings.