This Startup Scaled To Massive Reach Without Paid Ads

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. 🔗 Get access to 250k+ link connections and build your website authority with us: https://www.digitalwebsolutions.com/ In this episode, we discuss: 00:00 - 02:05: Introduction 02:05 - 04:10: How They Get Backlinks From Big Websites 04:10 - 05:20: Founder As The Face Of The Company 05:20 - 06:10: Traffic From AI And Search Engines 06:10 - 07:20: Why The Company Switched To B2B 07:20 - 08:45: Reaching Over One Billion People 08:45 - 10:05: Measuring Impact Instead Of Revenue 10:05 - 11:10: Plan To Live To 120 Years 11:10 - 12:40: His Personal Health Turning Point 12:40 - 13:50: Meditation And Spiritual Journey 13:50 - 15:20: Why Sleep Affects What You Eat 15:20 - 17:05: Why He Recommends Tao Te Ching 17:05 - 18:10: How AI Changes Content And SEO 18:10 - 20:05: Can Healthcare Shift To Prevention