Who Is Benjamin Pasternak
Benjamin Pasternak is an Australian-born entrepreneur and investor who gained early recognition as a teenage founder in Silicon Valley. He is best known for founding Monkey, a short-form social video app for teens, and SIMULATE, a food-tech company producing plant-based snacks. Pasternak has been featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 lists and has led or participated in multiple funding rounds for consumer technology startups Forbes profile on Gen Z founders.
Pasternak began building software products while still in high school, drawing attention from venture capital firms in the United States. He has publicly discussed dropping out of traditional schooling to focus on product development and fundraising. His career is often cited as an example of young founders leveraging social media and mobile apps to reach global user bases quickly Forbes article on Gen Z founders.
Benjamin Pasternak Net Worth and Companies
SIMULATE and NUGGS
Benjamin Pasternak is the co-founder and CEO of SIMULATE, the company behind NUGGS, a plant-based chicken snack designed to mimic the taste and texture of traditional chicken nuggets. SIMULATE has raised multiple venture rounds from investors focused on alternative proteins and consumer packaged goods. The company sells NUGGS through retail partners and direct-to-consumer channels in the United States SIMULATE official site.
As of the latest public reporting, SIMULATE has expanded its retail footprint in major U.S. grocery chains and continues to launch new product lines under the NUGGS brand. Pasternak has described the company's mission as making plant-based snacking more accessible and appealing to mainstream consumers. The brand's growth has been tracked by food-industry outlets and startup-focused media Forbes coverage of SIMULATE.
Early Ventures and Social Apps
Monkey and Social Video
Benjamin Pasternak founded Monkey, a social video app that connected users for short, live video conversations. The app gained millions of downloads and was featured in major tech publications as an example of a youth-focused social platform. Pasternak raised early capital from angel investors and venture firms to scale the product before shifting focus to other ventures TechCrunch coverage of social apps.
After Monkey, Pasternak continued investing in and advising early-stage startups in the social media and consumer technology space. He has spoken publicly about the importance of product-market fit, user retention, and rapid iteration for young companies. His portfolio includes roles in startups focused on messaging, creator tools, and digital commerce Forbes article on Gen Z founders.