By Anne Levin

Noom, the digital health and wellness company known for its psychology-based weight loss program, has moved into a 9,000-square-foot space at 1 Palmer Square. The company also has offices at 5 Penn Plaza in New York City.

Last Thursday, September 12, was move-in day for the company, coinciding with its introduction of Noom GLP-1 Rx, which combines an injectable weight loss drug with a way to taper off of it.

The program “addresses the biggest real-world problems with GLP-1s: poor persistence and lean muscle mass loss,” said Chief Executive Officer Geoff Cook in a press release. “Evidence demonstrates the vast majority of people, six out of seven, are not on these medications forever. They lose lean muscle mass and regain the weight, risking conditions like sarcopenic obesity, leaving them potentially worse off than before they started the medication. People need affordable access to these important medications, and then they need an offramp off of them. We designed Noom to be that offramp. Our goal is not to sell more medications; it’s to achieve sustainable, lasting weight loss for our members.”

A Princeton resident, Cook has been CEO of Noom since July 2023. In his light-filled office overlooking a large slice of the Princeton University campus, he talked about the trajectory of the company and its move to Palmer Square. Before the pandemic, Noom had 100,000 square feet of office space in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards.

“Noom had gone through a growth period and hired many dozens of people all over the world,” Cook said. “It never made sense to return to that office with all that space. So we moved to Penn Plaza, and now we’re here.”

Cook began his career while a student at Harvard, starting an admissions and resume consulting company in 1997. He sold it to Thompson Peterson’s in Lawrenceville, and moved to Pennington around 2003. When his daughter enrolled at Princeton Day School, “it was too much driving,” he said. “So we moved next door to the school.”

A company called My Yearbook, renamed The Meet Group, was Cook’s next endeavor. He was CEO of the NASDAQ-listed social dating and live-streaming company, based in New Hope, Pa., from 2013 to 2023, taking it public in 2020.

Cook moved to Noom “to do something meaningful,” he said. “My role is to usher it into the age of weight loss medications and GLP-1s. I brought in more than 100 people.”

The company’s services are geared to a wide range of people, “from those struggling with obesity to those who need to lose 10 pounds,” he said. “Noom helps people change their mindset. We provide accountability through coaching and AI tools.”

Employees working in the Palmer Square office are on a hybrid model, with 20 to 30 on site at a time. Several of those hired live in or near the area, making the relocation to Princeton convenient not only for Cook, but also for others in the company.

Cook is clearly energized by the move. “Nothing could beat the walkability of Princeton,” he said. “I’m working on fully utilizing the beautiful grounds of the campus. And I’m looking to connect with the University, starting a dialogue.”

Cook will speak at a Princeton Tech Meetup at Princeton Public Library on Thursday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m. The topic is “GLP-1s, Psychology, and the Future of Weight Health.” Visit princetonlibrary.org for more information.