Nathaniel Ru is American born entrepreneur, businessman and investor. He is the Co-Founder & Co-CEO of sweetgreen, a fast casual seasonal kitchen with a focus on sustainability and local sourcing.

Nathaniel Ru was born and raised in Pasadena, California. In 2007, Nathaniel Ru graduated from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business with a BS in Finance. While in school he met fellow sweetgreen Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, Nicolas Jammet and Jonathan Neman.

Nathaniel and his co-founders Jonathan Neman and Nicolas Jammet started sweetgreen in 2007, opening their first location in Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), after they had trouble finding a healthy place to eat that was also "fun and easy."

In 2010, Jonathan and his partners launched sweetlife, which has grown to become the East Coast’s largest music and food festival,[1] and sweetgreen’s biggest celebration of the sweetlife. The sweetlife Festival features a curated selection of in-demand, high profile musicians (Lana Del Rey, the Strokes, Kendrick Lamar and Phoenix) and outstanding food from top chefs, food trucks, and local purveyors and farmers. Each year, the festival attracts tens of thousands of attendees, the largest music event in Washington DC.

Nathaniel has been recognized as a key innovator in food and business, named to Inc.’s “30 Under 30”, Forbes’ “30 Under 30” and Food & Wine’s “40 Big Food Thinkers 40 and Under,” among other accolades.

Cooking, Healthy Eating, Organic Eating Holistic Eating, CEO, Food & Beverage, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Co-founder, Food industry, Natural Foods,