Timo Bolt, 26, left his city career and launched Goustto, a meal kit delivery business. Send customers a wealth of ingredients and recipes in advance. Up to 200 options are available each week. Since founding Goustto in 2012, Boldt (now 40) has pursued his mission to reduce food waste and promote cleaner diets.
The increased demand from the pandemic helped to exert profits of £18.2 million for the first year of the 2020 fiscal year. However, as inflation spiked and consumer confidence fell, Goustlo cut jobs and the valuation fell from £1.4 billion in early 2023 to just £250 million. To personalize dietary recommendations and improve operational efficiency, the London-based company in December 2023 returned to pre-tax profitability in December 2025.
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Born: October 1984, Berlin, Germany
Education: Fixtenberg Overschul, Berlin. He also graduated from Vintage High School in Napa Valley, California.
International Business Administration, European Via Drina University, Frankfurt, BSC (Hons).
Executive MBA, part-time at Cambridge University, Goustto (2014-16)
Career: Analyst, Rothschild, London (2008-10)
Vice-President, Petrus Advisor, Special Situation Hedge Fund, London (2010-12)
Founded Goustlo, 100 recipes developed (2012)
Opening its headquarters in Shepherd Bush, London (2018)
Life: London
What prompted you to start goust?
When I was 16, I moved to the US for a year to stay with a student exchange family who lives near my Godpalent. My godfather has built many food businesses, including ice cream shops, vineyards, organic supermarkets, but they didn’t have a board and never raised money, so it was pretty basic. I always respected them and wanted them to be what they represent: a lot of freedom, a lot of flexibility, a lot of purpose.
I didn’t know of a single entrepreneur who grew up in Berlin. So this gave me a perspective that greatly shaped me. I entered finance thinking that one day (my godparent) would pursue what I had pursued.
Why did you enter the bank?
I like numbers and was a bit gross in college. We have established an investment club for students. I’ve been very fortunate because I bought Chinese stocks when the market rose in 2007 and bought penny stocks. Later, he graduated and earned a big return before the market crashed and sold it. It was pure luck along the way, pure luck along the way, but we looked like geniuses.
My professor said: “You need to apply to the bank.” I applied, got an internship and someone said: “Look, there’s a job in London, do you want it?” I had never been to London. So I went to the bank.
Why did you give up?
I really got a great financial toolbox and met friends for my banking life. But I really didn’t see a purpose. The only focus was money. I wanted to pursue something that had a passion for food and cooking and a positive purpose. So in 2012, that kind of thing transformed into Goustto’s idea. It was daunting to quit funding.
I returned to my student accommodation in Oxford. There, my girlfriend, and now my wife, had a Ph.D. I went from a very high salary in a hedge fund without pay, but it had a great incentive. If this failed, I thought I could always get work again in some way.
How has your approach to money changed since college?
My philosophy of money was shaped by my brothers. My sister has been taking medication all her life due to psychological issues and has never been hired. My younger brother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 13. As a family, it was very sad at the time and very difficult for my parents. I think it drove me to think that health is wealth.
My investment approach is shaped by the insight that the utility value of money decreases over time. If you’re spending £1,000 on skiing today, that’s amazing. I’m creating a memory dividend. If you go skiing at age 80, it’s probably pointless. It’s not fun.
What is your success 24 hours a day?
Am I the best CEO, best friend, and the best family I can? I am the healthiest and what I can do? Am I an athlete? These areas are on my goal pie chart. They are extremely influential in my life.
Society teaches us to identify success with economic success. But really clarifying what’s important to you and defining success accordingly is a massive “block” of how you invest your time.
Where did Goustto’s motivation come from?
My brother can’t do what I do. Therefore, I can. I then had this enormous amount of motivation, worked hard and succeeded in my life. I also had this health vision. In the UK, 58% of adults’ daily calorie intake is ultra-processed food (11% of the ingredients used in recipes, according to Goustto). All studies refer to reducing your average life expectancy.
What stops people from eating often?
Money and convenience. The cost of the living crisis has been quite painful for the UK. Structurally, I think we are in decline as a country. If you look at math, I don’t see it stop immediately. So we strive to ensure that many UK families are affordable, accessible and accessible, and access to large markets. We don’t want to be London’s suggestion.
What do you invest in?
I have a small amount of money in a long-term diversified ETF. I love the UK, but I think we have to take advantage of generative AI and these trends. That’s why my ETF has a big bias in technology. But I don’t check them. They are aiming for the next 40 years. I definitely believe in the power of compound interest.
If I were the government I would give every baby £12,000. Because the compound is 7% until the age of 65, and has £1 million for health and retirement. And we have 600,000 babies born in the UK each year. That’s why it costs £7 billion. He is currently spending £800 billion on (state) pensions. So, a £7 billion investment could remove £800 billion of expenses.
What are the best and worst investments you’ve made?
One of the best investments I made was the Cambridge MBA. I paid zero salary for a long time and then used it to pay my MBA as soon as I started paying my salary. Luckily I got a scholarship on the side so I didn’t pay the full amount. I didn’t have the money, so that was a really difficult decision at the time.
Worst investment? There was a period of time I played with the call option. I’m working for a hedge fund and the market rose, winning twice and then losing everything in the third time. That was a really important lesson because you get cocky so fast. I have also invested in failed startups, but I am grateful for the reflection and learning that brought about.
Do you have a pension and retirement plan?
I have a small ETF, but goust is like a pension. My dream is to work until I’m 95. I hate the idea that I’m not working. I love work.
If you inherit £1 million, what would you do with it?
I will bring more family and friends on the best trips ever and create a dividend of memory that I will benefit from for the rest of my life. And I give it to the charity.
