#94: From Startup to Grown-Up: Jonathan Wolf, co-founder and CEO of ZOE - The growth of a founder, the most important leadership skills, and how to raise 7 million euros in 3 weeks.

Jonathan Wolf is the co-founder and CEO of ZOE, the science-based nutrition company using data to transform how people eat. In this candid conversation, he joins Alisa to explore what it takes to build a mission-driven company, how to lead with more clarity and transparency, and why the way we eat is more broken and more fixable than most people think. ZOE’s origin story is as unconventional as it is inspiring. After scaling Critéo into a billion-dollar business, Jonathan stepped away with no plan and plenty of questions. That wandering period led him to microbiome researcher Tim Spector, and from there, to the bold idea of using AI and big data to personalize nutrition at scale. Eight years and 250,000 microbiome samples later, ZOE is running the world’s largest nutrition science study and has launched a free app to help people assess their food in real time. In this episode:Why Jonathan left the world of adtech in search of purposeHis sabbatical was a challenging period of self-discovery.The importance of relationships over ideas became clear to him.How he navigated the founder’s journeyThe scientific gaps in mainstream nutrition adviceWhat most people misunderstand about ultra-processed foodHow ZOE turned a research project into a product that helps millionsWhat coffee can reveal about your gut microbiomeWhy leadership gets easier when you stop trying to be likedHow Jonathan uses one key question to make sure he’s actually being heardWhy ZOE launched a free tool to put science into people’s handsHow to communicate clearly as a CEO without over-explainingWhy repeating your message 100 times is part of the jobHow to hire people who care more about the mission than the resumeWhat coaching and therapy taught Jonathan about being an effective leaderWhy ZOE’s shift to a free app was a strategic business decisionHow to scale without losing sight of your company’s purpose Jonathan also shares the emotional and psychological journey of leadership: learning to make hard calls without sugarcoating, building teams that stick, and staying grounded while leading a fast-growing company. ZOE’s new free app is now available in the US. It uses AI to analyze any food item or meal for its processing risk and nutritional quality, helping people make smarter choices instantly. If you care about your energy, mood, and long-term health, this episode will change how you think about food and leadership. Connect with Alisa! Follow Alisa Cohn on Instagram: @alisacohn Twitter: @alisacohn Facebook: facebook.com/alisa.cohn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisacohn/ Website: http://www.alisacohn.com Download her 5 scripts for delicate conversations (and 1 to make your life better) Grab a copy of From Start-Up to Grown-Up by Alisa Cohn from Amazon