1 hr 10 min
Food, Tech, and Longevity: Rethinking Health with Victor Penev from Edamam | Ep.92 The Recursive Podcast
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- Entrepreneurship
Our next guest has come a long way in his professional and personal development - from investment banking, through digital media and marketing, and e-commerce to rethinking humanity’s relationship with food.
Victor Penev is a serial entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of the food database and nutrition data provider Edamam.
He is also a mentor and investor in food tech startups and an advisor to early-stage entrepreneurs.
Before that, Victor co-founded and sold Bulgaria’s largest Internet Company NetInfo BG.
In this episode we discover what is next on his journey.
In his conversation with Irina, Victor Penev talks about:
The legacy of one of Bulgaria’s firsts digital media companies and the early days of the Bulgarian Internet;
The bittersweet experience of selling your company as an entrepreneur;
Building a business on the intersection of food and technology without traditional fundraising;
Defining success beyond financial metrics, focusing on long-term impact;
His new longevity project: redefining health and food in Bulgaria
*This episode of The Recursive Podcast is released in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. As part of their mandate to support small and medium-sized businesses, The EBRD’s SME Finance and Development Team provides knowledge, network, and skills to help emerging businesses innovate, thrive, and succeed.
Time Stamps:
0:00 Trailer
03:25 Introduction
04:13 After the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Student Ventures and First Media Startups
08:50 From Investment Banking to Entrepreneurship
10:52 The Origin Story of NetInfo: Bulgaria’s First Digital Media Company
12:45 How NetInfo Shaped Bulgaria's Internet Landscape
19:25 Trust and Transition: Victor Penev's Experience with Succession at NetInfo
23:14 Cooking Up Ideas: The Birth of Edamam on a Thai Beach
24:30 Breaking the Mold: Building Edamam without VC Money
30:40 Reflections on Venture Capital: Addressing Inefficiencies in Investment Practices
33:26 Meditative Entrepreneurship: Finding Calm Amidst Chaos
37:20 Do You Have to be Competitive to be a Good Entrepreneur?
45:10 The Art of Mentorship: Nurturing Organic Connections
49:50 The Relationship between Food and Longevity: Victor’s New Project
1:03:10 Life as a Puzzle: Entrepreneurship, Home, and Identity
1:09:29 Outro
Our next guest has come a long way in his professional and personal development - from investment banking, through digital media and marketing, and e-commerce to rethinking humanity’s relationship with food.
Victor Penev is a serial entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of the food database and nutrition data provider Edamam.
He is also a mentor and investor in food tech startups and an advisor to early-stage entrepreneurs.
Before that, Victor co-founded and sold Bulgaria’s largest Internet Company NetInfo BG.
In this episode we discover what is next on his journey.
In his conversation with Irina, Victor Penev talks about:
The legacy of one of Bulgaria’s firsts digital media companies and the early days of the Bulgarian Internet;
The bittersweet experience of selling your company as an entrepreneur;
Building a business on the intersection of food and technology without traditional fundraising;
Defining success beyond financial metrics, focusing on long-term impact;
His new longevity project: redefining health and food in Bulgaria
*This episode of The Recursive Podcast is released in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. As part of their mandate to support small and medium-sized businesses, The EBRD’s SME Finance and Development Team provides knowledge, network, and skills to help emerging businesses innovate, thrive, and succeed.
Time Stamps:
0:00 Trailer
03:25 Introduction
04:13 After the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Student Ventures and First Media Startups
08:50 From Investment Banking to Entrepreneurship
10:52 The Origin Story of NetInfo: Bulgaria’s First Digital Media Company
12:45 How NetInfo Shaped Bulgaria's Internet Landscape
19:25 Trust and Transition: Victor Penev's Experience with Succession at NetInfo
23:14 Cooking Up Ideas: The Birth of Edamam on a Thai Beach
24:30 Breaking the Mold: Building Edamam without VC Money
30:40 Reflections on Venture Capital: Addressing Inefficiencies in Investment Practices
33:26 Meditative Entrepreneurship: Finding Calm Amidst Chaos
37:20 Do You Have to be Competitive to be a Good Entrepreneur?
45:10 The Art of Mentorship: Nurturing Organic Connections
49:50 The Relationship between Food and Longevity: Victor’s New Project
1:03:10 Life as a Puzzle: Entrepreneurship, Home, and Identity
1:09:29 Outro
1 hr 10 min