In Conversation With: Sakshi Mittal on Transforming Food into Medicine

Posted by Bedrock on 1st September 2025

Our In Conversation With series shares personal and thought-provoking insights from inspiring individuals and leaders from across diverse sectors, exploring what wealth means to them and how they’re leveraging it to drive meaningful change. It offers practical perspectives on how the different forms of capital — intellectual, social, and financial can be used to fuel innovation and growth, while providing valuable insights into the key trends shaping diverse sectors.

In this edition, we speak with Sakshi Mittal, CEO and Founder of FoodHak—a pioneering platform that is transforming the way we view food and empowering people to live happier, healthier lives.

Sakshi shares how she is using AI to blend clinical science with Ayurvedic wisdom to make “food as medicine” not only accessible and delicious but also deeply personalised.

A Personal Journey: Solving Chronic Disease Through Nutrition

Q What led you to launch FoodHak?

My background is in life sciences, starting my career at Pfizer in clinical trials and regulatory affairs. With an interest in entrepreneurship, I pursued an Ivy League MBA and launched a healthcare startup. Though short-lived, this sparked a strong passion for investing, leading me to work in life sciences investing at SoftBank.

While researching cancer, infectious diseases, virology, and emerging technologies, I realized most medical interventions come too late—after chronic illness has already developed. Prevention is key. Data shows 80% of chronic diseases are lifestyle-related, with nutrition as a major factor. I began to wonder: what if we could solve nutrition in a personalized way—similar to how we approach cancer—surrounding people with better food choices to break the cycle, reduce healthcare costs, and improve healthspan?

The true catalyst, however, was personal. During my pregnancy, I developed a rare liver condition—obstetric cholestasis—with no known cure, no clear lifestyle links, and serious risks. Refusing to accept this, I turned to my scientific background, changed my diet, and embraced lifestyle medicine practices like hypnobirthing, meditation, and reflexology. The result? A healthy birth—and in my next pregnancy, a full reversal of the condition, something doctors said was impossible.

As I explored clinical research on nutrition, I saw the potential for food to prevent and manage disease. But I kept asking: how can people without a scientific background access and understand this information? That question became the foundation of FoodHak.

“I kept asking: how can people without a scientific background access and understand this information? That question became the foundation of FoodHak.”

Making Evidence-Based Nutrition Accessible

Q What are you building with FoodHak—and what problem are you solving?

At FoodHak, we’re putting health back into people’s hands by using food as a powerful tool to prevent and manage chronic disease. We’re building a platform that makes functional, evidence-based nutrition accessible and actionable—translating complex clinical research into personalised, easy-to-understand guidance.

We use  AI to sift through clinical studies, validate findings with medical experts, and deliver personalised recommendations through our app. Whether you’re managing a condition or simply trying to eat smarter, it’s like having an AI-powered health coach in your pocket.

“Whether you’re managing a condition or simply trying to eat smarter, it’s like having an AI-powered health coach in your pocket.”

Understanding that people need tangible products to consume, we also launched a snacking line which is good for you, it’s functional in nature, it’s clean label and it’s packed with superfoods.  Which designed using both clinical research and Ayurvedic principles.

Ultimately, we’re redefining nutrition in the context of chronic disease, prevention, and longevity. Our goal is to make intelligent, delicious, and personalised nutrition available to everyone.

Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science

Q You reference Ayurveda alongside science. How do the two connect in your approach?

Human genetics and epigenetics evolved in harmony with nature. But as societies industrialise and modernise, we drift away from that balance—contributing to the rise of chronic diseases.

Ayurveda, which has existed for thousands of years, is a holistic system of preventative and curative medicine rooted in nature. Long before Western medicine, people studied plants and their medicinal properties to support health and longevity. Today, many of these principles are being validated by modern science.

“Long before Western medicine, people studied plants and their medicinal properties to support health and longevity. Today, many of these principles are being validated by modern science.”

At FoodHak, we bring these two worlds together. We examine disease, inflammation, and healing through both a clinical and Ayurvedic lens. Our AI examines the latest scientific papers, integrates Ayurvedic insights, and helps design food products and recipes that are both flavourful and beneficial to our long-term health.

Creating a World Where Healthy Choices Are the Default

Q What does success look like for you?

Our mission and vision is to have a future of food that is clean, sustainable, functional, where it’s adding healthcare benefits to you. If I had to visualise success, it would be seeing FoodHak products—especially our functional snacks—on shelves in every major supermarket worldwide.

We want people to have a real choice. Imagine standing in a snack aisle and choosing between processed crisps and a delicious, functional alternative—like our crackers—made from clean ingredients, just as appealing, and priced accessibly.

When healthier choices become the norm and shelves worldwide reflect this shift, that’s when we’ll know we’ve truly made an impact.

“When healthier choices become the norm and shelves worldwide reflect this shift, that’s when we’ll know we’ve truly made an impact.”

Turning Health Into Wealth

Q: What does wealth mean to you, and how has that shaped your approach to building FoodHak?

To me, wealth isn’t just about money — it’s about longevity: living a longer, disease-free, and happier life. It’s being able to spend quality time with my family, laugh with my kids, run around with them, pick them up, go on long walks, enjoy date nights with my husband, hit the gym, lift weights, and have late-night fun with friends.

That’s what real wealth looks like to me — the freedom to live fully and healthily. And to achieve that, we all need to make intelligent, personalised nutrition and lifestyle choices. That’s exactly why we built FoodHak: to help you become a better, healthier version of yourself tomorrow.

Building a Company on Shared Values and Purpose

Q What have been your hardest lessons as a founder?

One of the biggest early challenges was hiring the right team. It’s easy to underestimate how critical alignment on mission and values is. In the beginning, we needed to move fast, so we sometimes prioritised skillsets over alignment—thinking people could just learn on the job. But if someone isn’t aligned with the mission or culture, it can cause long-term damage to the company—and reversing that is emotionally and financially draining.

That was a big learning moment for me. Now, culture fit and clarity of purpose are non-negotiable. We’re building a mission-driven company—and that means surrounding ourselves with people who share that vision.

“We’re building a mission-driven company—and that means surrounding ourselves with people who share that vision.”

Lessons from Motherhood

Q What have been some of the challenges and unexpected strengths that motherhood has brought to the journey?

It is cool because FoodHak was ultimately born out of the experience of my kids being born. It has taught me three key lessons:

1. Efficiency: Balancing motherhood with building FoodHak has made me incredibly time-efficient. It’s strengthened my multitasking abilities—something I believe is a strength of women—and has taught me to be laser-focused with my time and energy. I’ve learned to prioritise what truly matters, choosing quality over quantity in everything I do.

• Resilience: Like an elastic band, I’ve realised how much I can stretch and adapt. I never imagined I’d be a 5 a.m. person, but my morning routine is now a longevity hack that energises me and helps me to be more productive and focused.

• Power of Maturity: While many founder stories celebrate young entrepreneurs with fewer commitments and fresh perspectives—which is incredibly valuable—there’s also strength in experience. Mature founders bring a different kind of credibility: shaped by life experiences, professional track records, and the resilience and maturity that comes from navigating both personal and career challenges. 

Taking Personalised Nutrition Global

Q: What’s next for FoodHak?

Our goal is to expand FoodHak globally, staying true to our mission of delivering an AI-powered, personalised longevity coach in your pocket, alongside our functional snacking range that supports healthier living. I’m relocating to the UAE to launch our first international market.

While our app can quickly reach users worldwide thanks to technology, our functional snacks will grow more gradually—country by country.

Imagine traveling with the confidence that, whether your father is recovering from heart surgery or managing diabetes, our app can provide personalised, science-backed recipes—like low glycemic or cardiac recovery meals—and lifestyle guidance. This empowers families everywhere to help their loved ones live longer, healthier, and happier lives, no matter where they are.

“Our goal is to expand FoodHak globally, staying true to our mission of delivering an AI-powered, personalised longevity coach in your pocket.”

If you are interested in finding out more information about the themes discussed in this article or FoodHak please reach out to info@bedrockgroup.ch for more information.