Jonathan Neman | Inspiring Healthier Communities with Sweetgreen

The Founder Hour

Jonathan Neman is the Co-Founder & CEO of Sweetgreen, the mission-driven restaurant brand that serves healthy food at scale. Jonathan and his co-founders and fellow Georgetown classmates Nathaniel Ru and Nicolas Jammet started Sweetgreen in 2007, opening their first location in Georgetown, DC, just three months out of college. The trio were disappointed with campus food options. Their vision is to be as ubiquitous as traditional fast food, but far more transparent and honest.

Sweetgreen raised its initial $375,000 of startup funding from investors including the three founders' parents, Joe Bastianich, Seth Goldman, and Washington's Latino Economic Development Center. In 2013, it accepted a $22 million investment from Revolution Growth, a venture capital fund founded by Steve Case.

Sweetgreen's corporate headquarters moved to the Los Angeles area from Washington, D.C. in 2016. As of September 2023, it had 221 stores in operation in 18 states and the District of Columbia.

Tune in to the episode to learn about Jonathan Neman's story and how it led to Sweetgreen.

*

CHA-CHING! Customers are rushing to your store. Do you have a point-of-sale system you can trust or is it (ahem) a real P.O.S.? You need Shopify for retail.

Shopify POS is your command center for your retail store. From accepting payments to managing inventory, Shopify has EVERYTHING you need to sell in person. Get hardware that fits your business. Take payments by smartphone, transform your tablet into a point-of-sale system, or use Shopify’s POS Go mobile device for a battle-tested solution.

Plus, Shopify’s award-winning help is there to support your success every step of the way.

Do retail right with Shopify. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at www.shopify.com/founderhour. Once again, go to www.shopify.com/founderhour to take your retail business to the next level today.

*

The Founder Hour is brought to you by Outer. Outer makes the world’s most beautiful, comfortable, innovative, and high-quality outdoor furniture - ALL from sustainable materials - and is the ONLY outdoor furniture with a patented built-in cover to make protecting it effortless. From teak chairs to fire pit tables, everything Outer makes has the look and feel of what you’d expect at a 5-star resort, for less than you’d pay at a big box store for something that won’t last.

For a limited time, get 10% off and FREE shipping at www.liveouter.com/thefounderhour. Terms and conditions apply.

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour