E86 Zaylan Jacobsen (NiteCapp) | Joe Wagner

🎙️ Go With Your Palate: Zaylan Jacobsen | From Early Hustle to Building NiteCapp

This week, we sit down with Zaylan Jacobsen, Co-Founder & CEO of NiteCapp—a rising platform changing how hospitality and food & beverage teams connect and learn. Long before tech, Zaylan was already wired for entrepreneurship, selling duct tape wallets and kendamas as a kid—early signs of a builder mindset that would later push him to teach himself the tech skills needed to build apps from the ground up.

Zaylan shares how seven years in the restaurant world—working his way from server to bartender to manager—gave him a front-row seat to the daily chaos of hospitality. That firsthand experience became the foundation for NiteCapp: a tool designed by someone who’s lived the chaos and knew there had to be a better way.

We also get into his love of hiking and exploration, including his belief that the best way to understand a new place is from its highest point—a philosophy he put to the test by climbing Mt. St. Helena the moment he arrived in Napa. Along the way, we talk startups, hospitality, perspective, and the mindset it takes to build something meaningful.

If you’re into entrepreneurship, food & beverage, or founders who learn by doing, this episode is packed with insight—and just enough mystery to keep you listening. Grab a glass and come hang.