# Noom: Saeju Jeong

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-08-08
- Length: 1h 10m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong

## Summary

Saeju Jeong, CEO of Noom, recounts his journey from a failed heavy metal import business and a rejected stationary bike prototype to building a $10 billion wellness app. He explains how user data revealed that people wanted weight loss, not just fitness tracking, leading to the creation of Noom’s holistic behavior-change platform. Jeong details the painful pivots, including sunsetting successful apps and losing employees, to focus on psychological support and human coaching.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong#t=0) Introduction: Saeju Jeong and Noom
- [5:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong#t=314) Early Life and Heavy Metal Business
- [22:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong#t=1329) Moving to the U.S. and Meeting Artem
- [33:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong#t=1995) The Failed Stationary Bike Prototype
- [39:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong#t=2362) Pivoting to Cardio Trainer and Calorific
- [47:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong#t=2853) Building Noom’s Holistic Approach
- [56:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong#t=3412) Switching to Subscription and Losing Team
- [1:00:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong#t=3627) Noom’s Product Philosophy and Growth

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Noom (product)
- Peloton (product)
- Strava (product)
- Google (company)
- Calorific (product)
- Cardio Trainer (product)
- Buy Hard (company)
- Fitbit (product)
- Nudge (product)
- Good to Great (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [013 - “Big Rocks and Little Rocks” with Jumha Abu-Razeq](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2021-12-29-013-big-rocks-and-little-rocks-with-jumha-abu-razeq) (Let's Combinate)
- [Why This Architect is Choosing to Build a National CPG Wellness Brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-10-02-why-this-architect-is-choosing-to-build-a-national-cpg-wellness-brand) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [S1 E6: Pivots, Trials, Errors, and Validation in Product Development with Madhavi Gavini](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-builder-circle/2023-06-13-s1-e6-pivots-trials-errors-and-validation-in-product-development-with-madhavi-ga) (The Builder Circle)
- [065 - "8 Quality Lessons from Losing 100 Lbs " with Subhi Saadeh](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-12-28-065-8-quality-lessons-from-losing-100-lbs-with-subhi-saadeh) (Let's Combinate)
- [095: Solve End-User Pain for Consumer Product Success](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-09-29-095-solve-end-user-pain-for-consumer-product-success) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-08-noom-saeju-jeong. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.