Saeju Jeong

Jeong Saeju (born 1981)[1] is an American entrepreneur and a co-founder, chairman, and the former CEO of Noom, a weight loss company.[2]

Early life and education

Jeong was born in 1981, in South Korea, to a family of doctors. In 2001, he founded BuyHard Productions, an independent music label with a focus on heavy metal.[3] In 2002, he joined the Republic of Korea Army as an IT specialist. He pursued a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Hongik University,[4] but in 2005,[5] he dropped out to move to Manhattan, New York.[6][7]

Career

In Harlem, Jeong met Noom co-founder Artem Petakov. In 2007, the two established WorkSmart Labs and itsfirst prototype, a stationary-bike accessory. Jeong worked various sales jobs and as a food delivery driver.[8]

In 2011, WorkSmart rebranded to Noom and raised a US$2.6 million seed round led by Kleiner Perkins.[9]

Noom relaunched in 2017 with a subscription-based weight-management app.[10][11]

In 2020, Jeong was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.[12]

In 2021, Noom raised $540 million in funding, valuing the company at $3.7 billion.[13]

In 2023, Jeong stepped down as Noom CEO and was replaced by Geoff Cook, a founder of The Meet Group.[14]