It started on a kitchen table

Jelli Bead started with a party house full of strangers.

We'd brought a bunch of kandi supplies to a festival rental house we were sharing with 18 basic strangers. The second those beads hit the table, everyone was friends. They were stringing beads, swapping bracelets, and sharing stories like they'd known each other for years. That's the whole thing, right there. A handful of beads doing what usually takes way longer: turning a room full of strangers into a SQUAD.

We figured other people might want that feeling too. So we started posting designs on Reddit just to see if anyone fw them. They blew up. Suddenly the inbox was full of people asking where they could get them.

There was no real plan. I was working in sales and marketing, so I took what I'd picked up from work, what I'd taught myself over years of doodling and designing imaginary brands, kept a YouTube tab open at all hours, and threw a bunch of stuff at the wall to see what stuck. Enough of it stuck to make a real brand out of.

We called it Jelli Bead. The origin? Honestly? It was an available Instagram handle, it was cute to say, and it reminded you of candy. Our first logo was a shameless rip of a big candy company, which we proudly ran with until we got big enough that we, uh, had to stop.

A couple years in, my partner and I went our separate ways, and for a minute I wasn't sure Jelli Bead would stick around. But there was a team in the mix by then, people who'd bet on this thing, and quitting on them wasn't really an option. So I left my career to go all in on JB.

The stuff that's happened since still feels a little unreal. Jelli Bead charms ended up on GRiZ. Our work was on THE ACTUAL TACO BELL APP?!?! We've worked with huge companies i'd never imagine would want beads, and in 2025 and 2026, JB Charms were a part of Official Coachella Merch. JB WORLDWIDE BABY!

But the best part is still the faces. Meeting fans at festivals and shows, watching someone read a bracelet and admire the charm, catch on to the punchline, and light up. Newbies scrolling the Instagram and saying "haha holy sh*t i need this." That's that sh*t fr fr.

That's all it's ever been about: more ways to connect. More reasons for strangers to become friends.

The ride's been insane. And we're just getting started.

JB4EVER.