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At 22, Pasternak built NUGGS into one of America's fastest-growing frozen food brands by ditching sustainability messaging entirely — proving plant-based food could win on craveable nostalgia and Gen Z marketing rather than environmental guilt.
Ben Pasternak co-founded Simulate, the food-technology company behind plant-based chicken brand NUGGS, and served as its CEO.
He moved to New York from Australia after gaining attention as a teen developer of the viral mobile game Impossible Rush at age 15, and launched Simulate in 2019. NUGGS gained distribution in major retailers through bold branding aimed at younger consumers, and Simulate raised funding from investors including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
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