Built from Scratch

Welcome to Built from Scratch, a podcast hosted by Erik Libby, CEO and founder of the To-Do Dudes. On this show, Erik shares key lessons from his entrepreneurial journey and highlights the stories of entrepreneurs and business professionals who are all under 30. Built from Scratch is dedicated to spotlighting the next generation of leaders ready to change the world.

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Built from Scratch

Pepper: Jake Aronskind (28)

August 11, 2025 • Erik Libby • Episode 50

Originally from New Jersey, Jake earned a B.A. in Economics (with a minor in Computer Science) from Vanderbilt University.

As COVID-19 shut the world down and his work environment changed, he saved up a six-month nest egg to go all-in on his startup, Pepper—a social-cooking app he co-founded with childhood friend in September 2021.

What began as a group-chat experiment sharing homemade meals has grown into a community of over 1 million home cooks worldwide, with Pepper featured on Fox’s Food Stars and At 27 years old, Jake was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.

He’s on a mission to improve cooking experiences by bringing social media–style engagement to real-world food sharing.

Jake is only 28 years old.

Contact info:

Website: https://www.peppertheapp.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakearonskind/

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