# Brian Rudolph

> Brian Rudolph is the co-founder and CEO of Banza, which he launched with his brother Scott in 2014 after developing chickpea pasta in Detroit. An Emory University graduate and Venture for America alumnus, he built the company through early manufacturing challenges, retail outreach and an expanding range of packaged foods. He is based in New York.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Banza
- **Organizations:** Banza, Venture for America, Quikly, Emory University
- **Education:** Bachelor of Business Administration, Emory University - Goizueta Business School
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30 in Food, 2016., Inc. 30 Under 30 recognition, 2016., Co-founded Banza, winner of the 2015 Accelerate Michigan $500,000 first prize.

## Career timeline

- **2012** — Graduated from Emory, joined Venture for America and moved to Detroit; worked as Quikly’s first employee.
- **2013** — Began developing chickpea pasta in his Detroit kitchen.
- **2014** — Launched Banza with his brother Scott.
- **2015** — Banza won Accelerate Michigan’s $500,000 first prize and appeared among TIME’s Best Inventions.
- **2016** — Received Forbes and Inc. 30 Under 30 recognition; appeared in Generation Startup.
- **2021-2023** — Named to Goizueta’s Entrepreneurs in Residence cohort.
- **2026** — Led Banza as it introduced wheat-and-chickpea pasta and partnered with Campbell’s on a condensed soup.

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30 in Food, 2016.
- Inc. 30 Under 30 recognition, 2016.
- Co-founded Banza, winner of the 2015 Accelerate Michigan $500,000 first prize.
- Banza ranked No. 2,058 on the 2022 Inc. 5000.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Appeared on How I Built This with Guy Raz to discuss building Banza.
- **2026-06** — Campbell’s announced a condensed soup made with specially developed Banza chickpea pasta.
- **2026-05** — Returned to This Is TASTE to discuss Banza’s growth and its new wheat pasta line.
- **2026-04** — Banza introduced Wheat Protein Pasta and Wheat Protein Mac & Cheese, combining semolina and chickpeas.
- **2026-02** — Emory published an account of his return to speak with entrepreneurship students.

## Links

- Website: https://www.eatbanza.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianadamrudolph
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/pastabrian
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pastabrian/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brian-rudolph
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25