An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Investors and prospect buyers will scrutinize a unique product 10 times more than one they are used to. Preparation is key in anticipating every question possible, but it’s okay to say, “we don’t know” or “we aren’t there yet.”
As a part of my series about “Big Ideas That Might Change The World In The Next Few Years” I had the pleasure of interviewing with Matthew Elonis.
Matthew Elonis previously built an online meal delivery business that he grew and successfully exited within three years. With his passion for health and nutrition, he and his co-founders set out to develop a product that would be impactful across both the advanced and developing parts of our world. That vision led to the concept and development of Meepo and MealCubes. Within Meepo, Matthew’s focus is on advancing the company’s vision through product innovation and design. As a global advocate, he’s also sharing Meepo’s bold vision of democratizing nutrition by engaging and partnering with forward thinking governments and socially responsible global corporations. Matthew’s track record of leadership and organizational development ensures that Meepo’s vision will come to life by unlocking the significant and inherent value every living person has, thus enabling millions of people to now make their unique contribution to the world.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you please tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I had just finished high school and was entering my first year of college, when on campus, a man began selling prepared meals ready to eat. Being highly active in sports and the gym, I thought it was genius! I ordered the food, but it was nearly inedible (and I’m not that picky!). I called my brother who was a senior in college and told him we could do a better job. In two weeks, with just $300 in cash and a Costco membership, we began our first business which ended up doing $10 million annually within a few years.
Can you please share with us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
With our first business, my brother and I were doing a lot of work on Instagram before most businesses were (six years ago), and within three-four months we generated a lot of attention in the bodybuilding space. I received an email saying, “I would like to invest $1 million in your business, please call me,” with a number listed. As a 17-year-old, I jumped on it, and this 25-year-old with a wealthy family flew us out to the hills of California, invested in our business and helped launch West Coast distribution. This taught me to trust everyone until proven otherwise. Being open enough to call and meet with this stranger changed our lives forever.
A similar situation occurred when I emailed a billionaire to work together, and again when a big celebrity invested following a direct message on Instagram. Just take your shot and take chances — it works out more than people think.
Which principles or philosophies have guided your life? Your career?
Working on a BIG idea is much easier than working on a small idea. More people come to work with you, it’s easier to get partnerships and easier to get attention for what you’re doing, so go for bigger ideas, even those that seem crazy on the surface. A big “failure” is often more successful than a smaller “victory.”
It’s important to be optimistic and believe in other people. Many people carry a cynical “don’t believe it until I see it” mentality, whereas my “believe it until proven otherwise” mentality has opened doors that few others would have walked through.
Ok thank you for that. Let’s now move to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell us about your “Big Idea That Might Change The World”? How do you think this will change the world?
Even with new agritech, food production is getting more challenging due to the pandemic, diminishing water supply and unused arable land and spoilage, among other factors. In order to democratize nutrition for the world, we firmly believe that protein and micronutrients must be sourced entirely outside the agriculture process. MealCubes still relies on agriculture today, but we’re building and investing in systems that allow us to create food using ZERO agriculture. We’ll then be able to deliver adequate nutrition without depending on an unstable agricultural system — something no other company has done. If something happened tomorrow to inhabit agriculture or meat supply, there would exist nothing to keep us alive. This must change, and Meepo is setting out to do just that.
Keeping “Black Mirror” and the “Law of Unintended Consequences” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this idea that people should think more deeply about?
To democratize nutrition, MealCubes must provide the same nutrition as the world’s healthiest meals, be cheaper than fast food and be as tasty and satisfying as other food options. Meepo might garner too much power if we’re the only ones manufacturing meals with zero agriculture. In the event of a food instability crisis, for example, MealCubes would become a type of currency, with Meepo able to “print” calories, protein and vitamins at any time. Our goal is to democratize nutrition; not create a monopoly. However, history demonstrates that innovation begets innovation, so we’re confident MealCubes will inspire other entrepreneurs to rethink food production and join our mission.
Was there a “tipping point” that led you to this idea? Can you tell us that story?
My first business enabled us to create Meepo. I had enough cash to initially fund Meepo, I had 70 employees and learned enough about food production to understand the fickle and costly nature of healthy eating. To revolutionize the system of food production, I knew I had to rethink entirely what ‘food’ and ‘nutrition’ meant. A daunting concept indeed, but my prior experience gave me the confidence to go all in.
What do you need to lead this idea to widespread adoption?
We need to continue to secure long-term B2B contracts that help us expand production and reduce COGs. We also need to find the right distribution partners within the consumer setting. Finally, it’s important to us to continue funding R&D to create interesting nutrition technologies that solve real problems for people across the world. The future of Meepo is more than a one product company. MealCubes is only the beginning of this revolution.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
1. Finishing R&D is only half the battle; now you must scale manufacturing for a profitable cost of goods. The process of scaling our manufacturing took more than seven months.
2. Investors and prospect buyers will scrutinize a unique product 10 times more than one they are used to. Preparation is key in anticipating every question possible, but it’s okay to say, “we don’t know” or “we aren’t there yet.” These types of answers are inevitable for any new company — especially one with lofty goals.
3. Have the difficult conversations early. Prospective distributors or manufacturers will delay discussing numbers, but startups need to have those conversations as soon as possible. Remember that time and mobility are your greatest allies.
4. Development will take longer than you think, and you must push your team without burning them out. Remember that you’re dealing with people, and it’s important to understand the psychological nature of leadership (“Laws of Human Nature” by Robert Greene is wonderful).
5. When looking for your early distribution adopters, you want partners who will buy your product as is. Many companies will tell you, “Do X and we will buy” or “Get Y done and we will buy.” Maintain those relationships as your business scales, but first find buyers who value your product’s ability to solve their immediate needs. These partners will overlook initial flaws that early products inevitably have.
Can you share with our readers what you think are the most important “success habits” or “success mindsets”?
Four habits have become routines that I rely on to maintain mental clarity and make each day productive:
1. Transcendental meditation — 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening — has made me a significantly clearer thinker. I believe clear thinking is the ultimate form of intelligence, helping you apply your time and mind to what’s important. This is becoming rarer in today’s world, thus more valuable.
2. Read whenever you have free time. People say they have no time to read, but I believe that’s for two reasons: 1) they get stuck on a book they’re not excited about and 2) they only consider reading during large chunks of free time. I quit 80 percent of books since there are too many good reads to stick with one that isn’t grabbing you. I also pull out my Kindle app whenever I have five minutes to spare — you don’t always need 30 minutes or an hour.
3. Try to write every day, even for 15 minutes. Language is how we organize chaos into order, and you cannot divorce writing from speaking or thinking. If you can’t write, you can’t speak. Journaling helps me maintain order and clarity.
4. I write my priorities (no fewer than three, no more than six) on a notecard each morning to keep me accountable and ensure I’m building towards bigger goals. By completing five tasks per day, even amidst the lesser priorities and inevitable distractions, you’ll accomplish 30–35 tasks per week.
Some very well-known VCs read this column. If you had 60 seconds to make a pitch to a VC, what would you say? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
We’ve recreated the world’s healthiest meals in a few candy-like gummies for the military, world governments, healthcare for those without appetite and everyday busy consumers and professionals.
Soon, we’ll begin developing Meepo 3D, a 3D printer that will use saliva sensors to deliver customized daily nutrition based on an individual’s exact needs. Even in the year 2021, none of us know what our unique bodies and brains actually need. Meepo 3D will shape the personal and nuanced future of nutrition.
In short, we’re aiming to democratize nutrition for the entire world through a suite of products, including delivering customized daily nutrition based on someone’s exact biochemical needs. We want Meepo to be the greatest innovation in the history of nutrition.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
@meepoinc on Instagram.
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Meepo: Matthew Elonis’s Big Idea That May Change The World In The Next Few Years was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
