In this episode, we sit down with Victor Penev, Founder and CEO at Edamam, to break down how he built one of the most powerful food and nutrition data platforms in the world, now reaching over a billion people globally.
Victor shares how Edamam evolved from a consumer app into a B2B data infrastructure company used by major platforms like The New York Times, Amazon, and Microsoft. We dive deep into how they generated high-authority backlinks at scale, built organic inbound growth with zero outbound marketing spend, and leveraged partnerships as a core SEO and distribution strategy.
We also explore the future of SEO in the age of AI and LLMs, including why proprietary data, expert insights, and founder-led content are becoming critical for visibility and citations.
Beyond business, Victor reveals his philosophy on building impact-driven companies, why he believes food is the ultimate medicine, and how entrepreneurs should think about long-term health, longevity, and purpose.
If you’re a founder, marketer, or SEO professional looking to understand modern link building, inbound growth, and how to build a category-defining data company, this episode is packed with insights.
Takeaways:
- Partnerships can generate backlinks at massive scale
- Proprietary data drives organic authority and visibility
- Founder-led branding accelerates trust and reach
- Pivoting to B2B unlocked real monetization growth
- Impact can be a stronger metric than revenue
- AI reduces the need for venture capital
- Inbound beats outbound for long-term growth
- Sleep and nutrition directly shape performance
- Prevention will reshape healthcare economics
- Food data will power future personalization