# Eric Wu

> Eric Ji Sun Wu co-founded Gainful with Jahaan Ansari in 2017, served as its CEO and COO, and stepped away from daily operations in 2022. He subsequently co-founded Sobo Foods with Adam Yee and serves as CEO, building a frozen-food brand around Asian American flavors. Later interviews describe his continuing Gainful involvement as a board member and advisor.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Sobo Foods; co-founder, board member and advisor at Gainful
- **Organizations:** Sobo Foods, Gainful, Hilltop Microfinance Initiative, Hatch, True Ventures
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Science, Technology and International Affairs (STIA); magna cum laude, Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service
- **Known for:** Co-founded Gainful and led it as CEO from 2017 until 2020., Participated in Y Combinator Winter 2018., Included with Jahaan Ansari in Forbes 30 Under 30 Food & Drink 2023.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2017** — Worked in digital marketing at Hatch, completed a True Ventures fellowship and served as COO of the Hilltop Microfinance Initiative.
- **2017** — Graduated from Georgetown; co-founded Gainful with Jahaan Ansari and became CEO.
- **2018** — Gainful participated in Y Combinator’s Winter batch.
- **2020** — Moved from Gainful CEO to COO.
- **2022** — Announced a transition away from Gainful’s daily operations in October.
- **2023** — Co-founded and launched Sobo Foods with Adam Yee; included with Ansari in Forbes 30 Under 30 Food & Drink 2023.
- **2024** — Described building Sobo through roughly two dozen Bay Area stores.
- **2026** — Sobo announced its first products beyond plant-based: General Tso’s Chicken and Korean BBQ Pork dumplings.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Gainful and led it as CEO from 2017 until 2020.
- Participated in Y Combinator Winter 2018.
- Included with Jahaan Ansari in Forbes 30 Under 30 Food & Drink 2023.
- Co-founded Sobo Foods, which emerged publicly in May 2023 with $1 million in funding.
- Sobo reported availability in California, Hawaii, Texas, Oregon and Washington in its February 2026 announcement.

## Latest updates

- **2026-02** — A February 3 announcement describes General Tso’s Chicken and Korean BBQ Pork dumplings, Sobo’s first expansion beyond plant-based products, and a move from pouches to boxes.
- **2024-01** — In a January 29 interview, Wu described Sobo’s early retail strategy and his continuing board and advisory involvement at Gainful.

## Links

- Website: https://about.me/ericjswu
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericjswu
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ericjswu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericjswu/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/eric-wu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21