Simulate (company)

SIMULATE

Formerly	NUGGS LABS, INC [1]
Company type	Privately held company
Industry	Food technology
Founded	2018
Founders	Ben Pasternak Sam Terris
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Website	simulate.com

NUGGS with ketchup

SIMULATE (formerly known as NUGGS) is a food technology company headquartered in SoHo, Manhattan which manufactures plant-based alternatives to meat products. ^{[2] [3]} The company was founded in 2018 by Ben Pasternak and Sam Terris ^{[4] [5] [6]} and was acquired by plant-based investor Ahimsa in 2024. ^[7]

The company's main product is NUGGS, a plant-based chicken nugget alternative. ^[8] SIMULATE also makes a plant-based chicken patty product called DISCS. ^{[9] [10]}

History

The product NUGGS was launched in July 2019 via a direct-to-consumer website. ^[11] NUGGS began sale in retail stores such as Whole Foods Market, Walmart, Sam's Club, and Target in early 2021. ^[12] The company also sells its products through ghost kitchens in San Francisco and Los Angeles. In July 2019, SIMULATE (then NUGGS) announced that it was changing its name to SIMULATE. ^{[13] [14] [15]} The company plans to expand internationally, first to Canada. ^{[16] [17]}

References

1. "Simulate Inc - Company Profile and News".
2. Berenstein, Nadia. "Can This 19-Year-Old Tech Whiz Make Nuggets — And An Animal-Free Lifestyle — Go Viral With NUGGS?". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
3. Phan, Trung T. (2020-08-23). "Ben Pasternak: "SIMULATE is a nutrition company with a software framework"". The Hustle. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
4. Sanchez, Kait (2021-03-04). "I tried the Nuggs, and they tasted like memes". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
5. Peters, Adele (2019-07-09). "The newest plant-based meat brand comes from a 19-year-old founder". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
6. "SIMULATE Founder Ben Pasternak Aims to Optimize Human Nutrition". COOL HUNTING®. 2020-10-12. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
7. https://www.just-food.com/news/ahimsa-snaps-up-nuggs-maker-simulate/
8. Beer, Jeff (2021-03-26). "How the Tesla of chicken hit a ludicrous growth mode thanks to ghost kitchens". Fast Company. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
9. Edwards, Tanya (2021-02-16). "We tried Nuggs, the plant-based chicken that's all over Instagram". CNN Underscored. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
10. "The Vegan "Tesla of Chicken Nuggets" Just Launched at 800 Walmart Stores". VegNews.com. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
11. "NUGGS "operates like a software company" and is run by a 19-year-old tech entrepreneur - The Good Food Institute". The Good Food Institute . Retrieved 2021-06-05.
12. Bitter, Alex. "'The Tesla of Chicken' just found its way onto shelves at Walmart and Target. Its 21-year-old founder explains how his plant-based nugget business did $8 million in sales last year". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
13. "Nuggs rebrands as Simulate with new cash, a new CTO and an expanded line of faux-meat foods". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
14. "SIMULATE Raises $11M to Reimagine Your Childhood Favorite Foods with A Plant-Based Twist". AlleyWatch. 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
15. "Nuggs launches new parent company, taps former Danone exec". www.foodbusinessnews.net. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
16. "Nuggs creator Simulate raises $50M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
17. Yu, Douglas. "Reddit Cofounder Alexis Ohanian Leads $50 Million Series B Funding In Plant-Based Meat Startup SIMULATE". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-06-11.