# Sami Inkinen

> Sami Inkinen is a Finnish-born, Stanford-trained entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Virta Health, a company on a mission to reverse metabolic disease in one billion people through nutrition, technology, and AI. He earlier co-founded the real estate marketplace Trulia, taking it public in 2012 before its merger with Zillow. A self-described 'incurable data geek' and world-class endurance athlete, he is a triathlon age-group world champion and, in 2014, rowed 2,750 miles unsupported across the Pacific from California to Hawaii with his wife in a record-setting 45 days to raise awareness about sugar and metabolic disease.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Virta Health
- **Organizations:** Virta Health, Trulia, Fat Chance Row, Microsoft, Nokia, McKinsey & Company
- **From:** Finland
- **Nationality:** Finnish / American
- **Education:** MS, Engineering Physics, Helsinki University of Technology, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Trulia and led it to a 2012 IPO; company later merged with Zillow in a ~$3.5B deal, Co-founded Virta Health, reaching a $2B valuation and $160M+ annualized revenue, Virta Health named a TIME100 Most Influential Company (2023)

## Career timeline

- **early career** — Worked as a radio chemist at a nuclear power plant in Finland; served in Finnish military reconnaissance forces
- **pre-2005** — Held roles at Nokia, Microsoft, and McKinsey & Company
- **2005** — Co-founded Trulia, an online real estate marketplace
- **2012** — Led Trulia through its IPO
- **2014** — Rowed 2,750 miles unsupported across the Pacific from California to Hawaii in 45 days (Fat Chance Row); Trulia agreed to merge with Zillow during the row
- **2014** — Co-founded Virta Health with Dr. Stephen Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek
- **2023** — Virta Health named a TIME100 Most Influential Company
- **2025** — Virta surpassed $160M in annualized revenue with 80%+ YoY growth; launched industry-first cost guarantees
- **2026** — Stated Virta expects to be IPO-ready; appeared on The Tim Ferriss Show (#866)

## Achievements

- Co-founded Trulia and led it to a 2012 IPO; company later merged with Zillow in a ~$3.5B deal
- Co-founded Virta Health, reaching a $2B valuation and $160M+ annualized revenue
- Virta Health named a TIME100 Most Influential Company (2023)
- Half Ironman (70.3) age-group world champion (2011)
- Ranked #2 US age-group triathlete (2009)
- Completed Hawaii Ironman seven times; fastest finish 8h24min (2012), two sub-9-hour finishes
- Three consecutive Escape from Alcatraz wins
- Set the two-person Pacific Ocean rowing speed record: 2,750 miles in 45 days (2014)
- First Finnish person to row across any ocean

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Virta Health surpassed $160M in annualized revenue with 80%+ year-over-year growth.
- **2026-01** — Virta launched industry-first cost guarantees promising a 0% GLP-1 utilization trend and guaranteed weight-loss outcomes for payers.
- **2026-05** — Featured on The Tim Ferriss Show (episode #866) discussing diabetes reversal and the Pacific row.

## Links

- Website: https://www.samiinkinen.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samiinkinen
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/samiinkinen
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCvssp4KYdw
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samiinkinen

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sami-inkinen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-06