Ep. 158 Food as Medicine How AI Is Reshaping Nutrition and Longevity with Edamam

Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Victor Penev, founder and CEO of Edamam, to explore the powerful intersection of food, data, AI, and longevity.Victor shares his journey as a serial entrepreneur with over three decades of experience and explains how Edamam was built at the crossroads of two passions: nutrition and technology. The conversation dives deep into how structured food and nutrition data powers some of the world’s most recognizable platforms including Amazon Alexa, Food Network, Noom, Microsoft, Nestlé, and The New York Times Cooking.Together, Heidi and Victor unpack Edamam’s bold mission to help people live to 120 years without chronic illness by treating food as medicine. Victor explains why knowledge and accurate data are essential for better food choices and how AI is transforming that knowledge into intuitive, real time, personalized recommendations through what he calls a personal virtual nutritionist.The episode also explores how Edamam approaches growth with minimal traditional marketing, relying instead on partnerships, attribution, referrals, and long term thinking. Victor shares candid insights on selling into large enterprises, why persistence beats hype, and how staying focused on mission creates staying power in competitive markets.Victor closes with leadership lessons from mentoring over 200 companies, emphasizing passion, patience, and leading from behind as the keys to building purpose driven businesses that last.This episode is a must listen for founders, health tech leaders, and anyone curious about how AI, nutrition, and data are shaping the future of healthcare and longevity.Bio:Victor Penev is a serial entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Edamam. He is also a mentor and investor in food technology startups and advises early stage entrepreneurs. Previous to Edamam, Victor co-founded and sold Bulgaria’s largest Internet Company, NetInfo BG. Victor Penev also ran the international digital business of Playboy Enterprises, and was instrumental in starting the digital marketing efforts of BMG and in creating key e-commerce capability for Bertelsmann’s book clubs. Victor holds a MBA from Stanford.To connect with our guest, click on the links below:LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/edamam/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorpenev/Website:  https://www.edamam.com/Connect with me:LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/