Tech exec quits 6-figure job to start pizza bagel business

A Cornell graduate in computer science, Cooper co-founded an AI startup with classmates in 2017, serving as the company's chief technology officer. Over the years, the team raised funding, expanded its staff, and navigated the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, in 2023, Cooper and the CEO clashed frequently. Feeling burnt out, he left his $120,000 annual salary without a clear plan. After months of uncertainty, inspiration struck during a visit to his childhood favorite food shop, Bagel Bites, which led him to create something better, he told CNBC.

Despite having no experience in a commercial kitchen or restaurant service, Cooper began experimenting with pizza bagel recipes from his apartment, using cookbooks and online resources. After watching numerous cooking videos and making around 40,000 bagels, he managed to maintain the consistency of his recipe. He sold a portion of his equity back to the AI company for $250,000, netting about half after taxes. The funds allowed him to officially launch Pizzabagel.nyc in January 2025.

Jacob Cooper, founder of pizza bagel business Pizzabagel.nyc. Photo from Instagram

The company generates revenue through pop-ups, catering, and farmers markets, offering six pizza bagel options. Prices vary, but at night markets for instance, two bagels are sold for $5. In February, its first month of business, the company made $3,000 in sales. By September, sales had grown to $20,000, which covered business expenses and resulted in a $5,000 profit reinvested into the company. He also invested $50,000 into the business.

He said that if the business doesn’t work out, he has saved three years’ worth of living expenses, adding, "I can go back to tech or do something else. I’m probably not going to end up on my parents’ couch. Probably."

He works long hours, often from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. the next day, but despite the intense schedule, he has no regrets about leaving his six-figure tech job. "Every customer that comes up to the stand and tells me how great they are, every time they come back wanting more, it helps keep me going," he said. "I have a lot of fun doing this."

Acknowledging the challenges of being new to the food industry, Cooper said he now seeks help when needed, having learned from the mistakes of his CTO days when he was "too stubborn to look for help."

Initially giving himself six months to assess the business’s momentum, he has since committed to his entrepreneurial journey. He also launched Littlebagel.nyc, a sister pop-up specializing in mini-bagels. He plans to get his pizza bagels into grocery store freezer aisles, aiming for this milestone by his 30th birthday.

While he does not view making and selling pizza bagels as his permanent career, he remains excited about the future.

"I look at it really practically, and if I’m having fun and I think there’s a lot of growth, and people are really enjoying the product, I’m going to keep doing it."