Kyle
Sure there are a lot of recipe startups and websites out there. But how many were started by men, and how many are looking to reinvent and simplify the cookbook? That’s a lofty goal but it’s just what Iwannanom co-founders Danny Nahtan and Chuck Masucci have in mind.
Co-Founder Danny Nathan tells Nibletz.com:
“I Wanna Nom is a reinvention of the cookbook for the digital world. It’s a recipe bookmarking and discovery tool that allows the user to keep track of recipes they discover anywhere on the internet and easily share them, rate them, comment on them, and find new recipes and dishes by following friends and fellow foodies.”
The two co-founders met at POKE NY a creative technology and innovation consultancy based in New York. Masucci, a four year veteran of POKE has recently moved on to be the CTO of ske.dj an upcoming mobile/web startup and Nathan is approaching his fifth year there.
“We’re both ardent believers in the approach of creating simple, smart, and social products/services that add value and utility to people’s lives. (This thought process is largely what sets POKE apart from other innovation companies and has helped make it what it is today.) That thinking is certainly pervasive throughout the I Wanna Nom experience and has shaped our plans for the future of the product.” Nathan said.
We had a chance to interview Nathan about iwannanom and how they hope to (uggh i don’t want to say it), disrupt the recipe and cookbook space.
What are the differentiators from iwannanom and other online cookbook communities?
“The idea came about because recipe sites have become overwhelmingly difficult to use. There are too many, they’re too crowded, and many don’t show off food in a way that makes it appetizing. We were discovering more things that we wanted to cook on other sites – blogs, newspaper sites, tumblr, etc. – and we were usually drawn in by an image more than anything else.”
“The problem was, there was no way to keep track of those recipes other than bookmarking (which feels like too much of a commitment) or another social service that was crowded with anything and everything that people felt like saving (which feels like drinking from the firehose). The inevitable result was a bunch of good dishes and recipes floating around the internet that we’d never cook because we’d forget about them.”
More after the break
When we asked Nathan about monetization, because after all foodies and recipes is a crowded space, he said they weren’t ready to share that aspect of their business just yet and reminded us: “there’s a huge contingent of hobbyist cooks, home chefs, etc. who might want to be involved with a community that caters to helping them learn and grow as they experiment in the kitchen. That’s one of our biggest goals – to cultivate an environment and community based around learning and sharing, not just saving and cooking.”
What are some of your key metrics/milestones you’ve crossed.
“We’ve had some truly exciting milestones since our launch in early March. We met some wonderful people at SXSW just after our launch and saw some great press around the same time to contributed to much faster growth than we’d anticipated. And the response from those who have visited the site has been resoundingly positive, in spite of a few key feature requests that we’re working hard to bring to life.”
“So far our users have discovered well over 5,000 unique recipes and have saved them more than 12,000 times. What’s even more exciting is that we’ve seen those numbers growing steadily; in our minds that speaks highly for what we’ve created.”
Is this your first startup if not what are your others?
“I Wanna Nom is our first startup as a team, and it is the first of a series of products that Chuck and I have planned under a company called We Are Nomadic. Our focus is on creating useful products that help people find value in the things they “hunt and gather” from across the internet (hence the name). I Wanna Nom is the first of those products, but we have plans for a number of others that will allow us to improve on the technology platform that we’ve built as the backbone of the service and expand its usefulness well beyond recipes.
Is this a long term project for you or are you looking for an exit of some kind, if so what’s your perfect exit scenario?
“I Wanna Nom, and more broadly We Are Nomadic, are projects that we’re excited about seeing through for the foreseeable future. Of course, who knows what kind of opportunities might be presented to down the line and how we’ll decide to handle them, but we’re excited about the projects on the horizon and we’re not in a rush to walk away from them.”
FUN QUESTION: what is the first recipe that was submitted on iwannanom.coom that you prepared at home, and how did that go?
“The first dish I personally prepared from the site was Baked Eggs with Kale. At the beginning of the year, Chuck and I and a few other folks started an informal “brunch club” (basically a sunday afternoon pot-luck and cooking fest) that gives us a chance to shoot the shit, kick back over some beverages, and catch up with everyone’s busy lives. I cooked that dish for the inaugural brunch and it was a huge hit (not to mention, super easy to make).”
Linkage:
Look you gotta go try and make one of these recipes they’re great, hit Iwannanom here
Nibletz is the voice of startups, “Everywhere Else” here’s some more new stories
We’re sneaker strapping a nationwide startup roadtrip tour, and could really use some support to get on the bus read this
