Saved by Zero — Surviving Cancer, Discovering Fasting, and Turning It Into My Next Career Journey
Today, I’m excited to share that I’m taking the reins of Zero — the #1 fasting app in the App Store — from my long-time friend and Zero founder Kevin Rose. To date, Zero has helped hundreds of thousands of people complete more than 8 million fasts. Zero users track their fasts for a variety of reasons, from common health goals like managing weight, increasing energy and mental sharpness, to more health-related uses around managing blood sugar, cholesterol, and even in the treatment of cancer. The latter was my entry-point into the world of fasting.
Why Fasting? Why Now?
While I was running Fitstar (now Fitbit Coach) in 2014, I began a year-long battle with advanced stage Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The initial diagnosis rocked my world, but I quickly began to dig in and research ways I could help my situation. Prior to my first chemotherapy treatment I discovered the work of Dr. Valter Longo, a pioneer in employing specific modalities of fasting for longevity and the treatment of cancer. After watching this video and talking to Dr. Longo about how fasting combined with chemo can lead to better results with fewer side effects, I decided to use his recommended protocol during my chemo cycles.
In March of 2015, after two out of six prescribed chemo treatments, both of which I did during a five day water-only fast, I was declared cancer-free. Since then, I have remained in remission thanks to the incredible care team from the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and the Stanford Cancer Center I was blessed to have in my corner. I also want to credit the work of Dr. Longo for being a material part of my treatment and continuing remission, with a strong caveat that anyone considering fasting for any health condition should first check with their primary care physician.
As a cancer survivor, I’ve learned that for many of us there’s an underlying anxiety about having a recurrence. In addition to eating well, maintaining physical activity, and relying on family and friends, I’ve discovered that fasting can help both our physical and mental states after a successful outcome. Fasting activates biological processes called autophagy and apoptosis — two of the body’s natural pathways for killing off mutating cells before they turn into tumors. Beyond the science, the fact that you can be an active participant in staying cancer-free is a powerful tool to combat recurrence fears.
But my experience is in the minority compared to why so many people are talking about fasting these days. Weight loss remains the #1 reason people get introduced to fasting, and fasting is the #1 diet regimen people are employing in 2018. Not surprising, as it is indeed an effective tool to drop excess pounds and keep them off if done correctly. Before I got sick, this was the main reason I dabbled in fasting. And I‘m all for it — if weight loss is the gateway to get people excited about one dimension of fasting, I believe it will open up a whole world of collateral health benefits that they will discover.
Following the completion of my treatment and the sale of my company Fitstar to Fitbit, it became clear to me that fasting was something I wanted to incorporate into my life. I watched the science continue to evolve. At the same time, I saw more and more people interested in trying fasting for a variety of reasons but they were unsure how to get started. With this insight, I began to visualize a company whose mission would be to help people discover the power of fasting and guide them along their journey.
As my idea turned into conviction while I was wrapping up at Fitbit in late 2017, Kevin was seeing unexpected excitement and usage of Zero. Being the prolific entrepreneur he is, he’d simultaneously begun working on his meditation app Oak while managing his venture partner duties at True Ventures. After a few conversations, it became obvious to both me and Kevin that me taking over Zero would be a perfect fit given my passion for fasting. I could build on the foundation of Zero while Kevin could give his undivided attention to both True and Oak.
What’s Next for Zero
Today, Zero is popular because it’s simple, easy to use and effective. You can select from a few pre-defined fasts or create one of your own and Zero will track how long you’ve been fasting.
On the flip side, Zero is much more of a utility and less of a guided experience. For Zero’s next phase we’re going to help people understand the benefits of fasting in a clear and engaging way, which fasting regimen(s) would best serve their individual health goals, and provide guidance and motivational tools to keep them fasting for the long run. There’s also a lot of headline chatter around fasting that can be confusing and not necessarily based on the latest science — we’ll aim to bring clarity to the noise. We’ll be focusing on these areas for future launches, without losing the beautiful design and singular focus on being a tool to support fasting in your everyday life that Zero does so well today.
Zero Enhancements & Announcements
Today, we’re excited to announce the release of Zero on Apple Watch. This has been one of the most asked-for new features from the Zero community and it makes total sense — being able to track your fasts from your wrist is just an obvious place to go.
The new Zero team has been working behind the scenes for months on today’s release and it’s just the beginning of our commitment to serving the existing Zero community and to expand it to millions more people.
To fuel our growth, we’ve raised a seed round of funding from some incredible people who share my passion and vision for Zero. True Ventures is leading the round which is fantastic not only because True Partner Tony Conrad will be joining me on this journey, but also because the investment allows me to stay connected with Kevin.
Kevin will be providing continual input and guidance as we take Zero to the next level. Rounding out this investment are my friends from Trinity Ventures, who were the lead investor in Fitstar, NFL legend Tony Gonzalez who was our original Fitstar trainer, and my brother Dr. Benjamin Maser of Sutter Health. Both Ben and Dr. Rhonda Patrick will be the first members of Zero’s Science Advisory Board to help make sure we’re building products that are backed by the latest research and sound methods.
Thanks to everyone who has helped make today a reality and to the incredible Zero community whose stories keep us motivated to continue improving the product. I hope those of you who have been considering fasting check out Zero and join us on the exciting road ahead. For continued updates follow us on Twitter and if you’d like to help us on our mission, drop us a line at jobs@zerofasting.com.
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