ZOE is a company that combines scientific research with cutting-edge AI to improve the health of millions. Pulse 2.0 interviewed ZOE co-founder and CEO Jonathan Wolf to learn more about the company.
Jonathan Wolf’s Background
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What is Jonathan Wolf’s background? Wolf said:
“I studied as a physicist but found my purpose much later in life. I worked with machine learning startup Criteo for many years as Chief Product Officer and helped grow the company to $1+ billion in revenue and IPO on NASDAQ.”
“After that, I took a sabbatical, which I highly recommend. It allowed me to get clear on my values and think about what I wanted to do with my life. I realized I wanted to build something meaningful with the potential to change people’s lives.”
“That’s when I met my co-founder Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London and world renowned gut microbiome expert. My other co-founder George and I were completely blown away by what we learned from him. Out of that meeting came the idea for a movement to transform the health of millions, based upon the incredible new science about our gut bacteria and the importance of the food we eat. ZOE, a science and nutrition company, was born that day. Our rule from that first day was that we would always lead with science. We actually spent the first three years doing a scientific experiment to give us the data for the first version of the ZOE product. I’m proud to say that almost eight years later, we now run the world’s largest nutrition science study, have published over 60 peer-reviewed papers in leading scientific journals, and have helped millions of people to understand how to transform their health through food.”
Formation Of The Company
How did the idea for the company come together? Wolf shared:
“Our vision to reimagine health began 30 years ago, when my co-founder Professor Spector began studying 13,000 twins. He was astonished to discover that even identical twins, who share all their genes, could end up with very different health outcomes: one twin might get breast cancer and the other not – or one twin end up living with obesity and the other having a normal BMI. After years of research, he discovered this was mainly because of two differences: the foods they were eating, and big variations they had in their gut. TwinsUK became one of the largest twin studies in the world, and proved that our genes are not our destiny. That’s where food comes in. What people eat can affect two people very differently.”
“This pioneering research sparked an idea: to give people the power to transform their health through food.”
“The latest scientific research shows that eating the right food for our bodies can transform how we feel right now, and help us to live many more healthy years. ZOE is leading this charge worldwide by uniting the strands of science, food, and health. We champion the power of individually personalized advice, focused on feeding the “good bugs” in your gut, in order to improve your energy, hunger, mood and sleep – one bite at a time.”
“From the gut microbiome to menopause, our studies have made groundbreaking discoveries about our bodies’ relationship to food. Based on what we learned, we developed and launched ZOE Membership – a personalized nutrition program in the UK and US.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Wolf reflected:
“My favorite memory happened in May of 2024 when one of the world’s most renowned scientific journals, Nature Medicine, published the results of our randomized controlled trial (RCT), to see if ZOE membership worked. I’m excited to say that the answer was a resounding ‘YES!’”
“One reason it’s such a good memory is that it was pretty terrifying. My co-founder Professor Spector and ZOE’s Chief Scientist, Professor Sarah Berry, both said that they couldn’t work at ZOE unless we did an RCT to prove that it worked. This is the gold standard of scientific research; the same methodology used to prove the effectiveness of treatments like drugs. Almost no one ever does an RCT of a wellness product, and that’s because the stakes are so high. There are very strict rules, including that you publicly commit to publishing the results even if they are negative, and lay out all the ways it will be measured in advance on a special website called clinicaltrials.gov. So basically if the RCT proved ZOE didn’t work, I would be forced to publish this. You can imagine how scary it was when Professor Spector and Professor Berry called me to share the results.”
“The results were great. The trial showed that compared to a control group who were given US government dietary advice enhanced with regular nutrition coach support, those doing ZOE saw larger reductions in blood fat, body weight, and waist size. They also had better blood sugar control, and increased their ‘good’ gut bacteria. Those doing ZOE also felt much better. They were twice as likely to report improved mood and less hunger and four times more likely to report better sleep and more energy than the control group.”
“Having these results published in Nature Medicine is a huge highlight of my career.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Wolf explained:
“When we founded ZOE, it came from a deep belief that food has the power to transform lives. The word ‘ZOE’ itself means life in Greek — and for me, that encapsulates everything we’re about: empowering people to live healthier, longer lives through the right food choices.”
“It all starts with science. We run the world’s largest nutrition science study, and we’re constantly testing and proving what works. Our clinical trials show that when you eat the right foods for your body, you can start feeling better in just a few weeks — and more importantly, you’re setting yourself up for years of better health.”
“At ZOE, we’ve built a personalized nutrition program that’s all about helping you make smarter food choices, using our world-leading science and your own unique test results. Here’s how it works:
First, you take at-home tests to understand how your body responds to different foods and to get insights into the balance of your gut microbiome. Then, our app uses this data to create a personalized nutrition plan, helping you build sustainable, life-changing habits. You’ll get everything from meal plans and recipes to food-scanning features and scores out of 100 for every meal — all tailored to your individual needs.
As you progress, we encourage you to retest your gut health regularly, so you can see how far you’ve come and know that the advice you’re getting is always up-to-date. And as a ZOE member, you’re not alone. You’re part of a community that’s committed to improving our health, starting with what we put on our plates.
In just a few short weeks, we will be launching a free ZOE app in the US. While the paid testing program delivers advanced personalized insights, the free version is designed to help as many people as possible make smarter, informed food choices with just a click of their smartphone camera, cutting through confusing marketing and misleading health claims and giving instant insights on how healthy a food or meal is. It’s a powerful tool for making healthier choices at the grocery store – it’s like having a nutrition PhD in your pocket. The app will be available in the App Store starting May 5, 2025.
And if you’re into podcasts, I host the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast, where we speak directly to the world’s leading nutrition science researchers, and get them to explain how their research can be turned into practical, actionable advice to improve your health. We are now the largest nutrition podcast in the world, with millions of monthly listeners who are on the same journey toward better health.”
Challenges Faced
When asking Wolf about challenges faced, he acknowledged:
“Yes, we had challenges right from the beginning! The COVID pandemic hit when ZOE was about to launch, so the team had to pivot quickly. We felt we had to do something, and so in five crazy days, we rebuilt our technology to help. We launched the ZOE COVID Study to try and understand the symptoms and progression of the pandemic. At the time, government officials told us that no one would do this, and that we would just be a distraction. But we didn’t buy that for a second. Within 24 hours, the app had over 1M downloads and soon after, more than 4.5M users every day helping to fight the pandemic.”
“The app gave us real-time data that revealed key hotspots for infection and helped us identify a wide range of COVID symptoms. In fact, we were the first to demonstrate that loss of taste or smell was a key symptom of the virus in its initial form — something that governments around the world then took on as official advice. It is a powerful example of how real-world data from millions of regular people can transform our scientific understanding and help us respond to health crises faster. It was what we call ‘community science,’ and we saw the power of it right away. We ended up supporting scientists around the world, and wrote dozens of peer-reviewed scientific papers in top journals like The Lancet.”
“Professor Spector was recognized for this work and awarded an OBE by the Queen for his contributions to the pandemic response.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since its launch? Wolf noted:
“Today’s U.S. nutritional guidelines are deeply compromised. This is due to big food successfully lobbying to prevent the guidelines reflecting the latest scientific advice. It’s abundantly clear that ultra-processed foods, which now dominate a majority of our diet, are a key driver of the global health crisis and rising obesity rates. ZOE combines AI, our own data—now the world’s largest nutrition science study—and the very latest scientific research to provide individual scores for any food, personalized to each unique body. We are giving our members confidence in their food choices, helping them to stay on track with their goals.”
“ZOE uses machine learning techniques to analyze our wealth of nutritional data. This helps provide a better understanding of people’s unique biology so they can make the smartest food choices for their bodies.”
“My background is in data, and the beauty of data is that as it grows you can discover new insights. Our bet was that new technologies, such as the ability to sequence your microbiome, could enable scientific research at unprecedented scale, allowing us to understand individual responses in the real world. Our approach combines large scale human studies with AI and collaboration with leading scientists around the world. Our results continuously improve as our scientific studies expand.”
“AI applications also help ZOE members plan easier and stay on track. Our new photo feature allows members to be mindful of what they eat with a simple photo, which we transform into a full understanding of the ingredients of that meal, and their impact on health. I use it every day and it’s incredibly intuitive. We’re excited about the future where citizen science and technology can continue to yield new insights and help people live healthier lives.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Wolf cited:
“We’ve had some big wins that stand out, but for me, what really excites me is the pace and quality of the research we’re doing. Our team is moving faster than I ever imagined, and they’re consistently pushing boundaries to uncover new insights. I might be biased, but the ZOE team is unstoppable. They’re not just delivering on our mission to improve the health of millions, they’re setting new standards for what’s possible in health science and personalized nutrition. We’ve always been about the science, and this year, we’ve shown that we can make it real, tangible, and life-changing for people at scale.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking Wolf about customer success stories, he highlighted:
“At ZOE, we’re constantly inspired by the stories of people who’ve made smarter food choices—and the impact it has on their lives. It’s one of the reasons I’m so proud of the work we do. Professor Spector often has people stop him on the street to thank him for how ZOE has changed their lives, and those moments never get old.”
“One story that really sticks with me is about a woman—I will call her Sandra—who came to us after years of struggling with health issues—acid reflux, IBS, weight gain, and general fatigue. She’d tried diet after diet with little success and felt stuck. But when Sandra discovered ZOE, something clicked.”
“A year later, the transformation was incredible. Sandra told me her symptoms—acid reflux and IBS—had disappeared. She experienced better sleep, more energy, and even noticed improvements in her skin. She’d lost over 15% of her body weight, but that was really not the most important thing. What struck her most was her newfound freedom around food. No more guilt after meals. She learned to embrace a more varied, vibrant diet. But Sandra told me the most unexpected part of her journey was the sheer sense of feeling amazing. ZOE didn’t just change her diet—it changed her confidence, helping her embrace new habits and experiences.”
“ZOE is a wellness product and isn’t a treatment for any disease, but I’ve heard hundreds of stories like Sandra’s now, and everyone of them is what motivates to keep me at the hard work of growing ZOE and this mission we are on to change the way we all think about food.”
Funding
When asking Wolf about the company’s funding details, he revealed:
“We’ve raised over $100 million so far, and are proud to have investors including Accomplice, Flight Fund, and Balderton Capital in our corner. In 2024, we announced new funding from Coefficient Capital in New York to focus on our US growth.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Wolf pointed out:
“ZOE is incredibly well known in the UK where we started. Here in the states, the food landscape is even worse, and the regulations that protect consumers are very weak. It’s no surprise that the epidemic of poor health caused by ultra-processed food is worse here than anywhere else in the world. Our mission now is to improve the health of millions across the US, and that is exactly what we intend to do. Looking ahead, we’re focused on three key areas: Expanding our visibility in the states, new scientific research—especially around ultra-processed foods—and continued innovation with our app to make all this science easily available to everyone. The future is exciting, and we’re just getting started.”
“And as I mentioned above, we are very excited to bring our science to even more people in the US. The US is facing a serious health crisis and we are proud to give Americans a tool that will help them make smarter, more informed food choices.
Integrated into the free ZOE app, will be the new and novel ZOE Processed Food Risk Scale. This scale evaluates processing properties and their likely impact on health outcomes. With the ZOE app and Processed Food Risk Scale, users simply snap a photo of any nutrition label and instantly see where it falls on the Processed Food Risk Scale – from potentially harmful to Highest Risk Processed Foods (HRPs) to surprisingly risk free.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Wolf concluded:
“Just that we’re incredibly excited about what’s coming next at ZOE. We’ve only scratched the surface of how our gut microbes shape our health, and what personalized nutrition can do for people’s health. I truly believe we’re at the forefront of a revolution in how we understand food and its impact on our bodies. Our research is progressing faster than I could have imagined, and with each new insight, we’re getting closer to helping millions of people live healthier, longer lives. I’m proud of the team, proud of the progress we’ve made, and incredibly optimistic about the future. If you’re looking to take control of your health, we’ve got the science and tools to help you do just that.”
