Ben Pasternak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ben Pasternak
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Ben Pasternak at Heureka Conference in Berlin, June 2016
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| Born | 6 September 1999 |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Education | Reddam House, Moriah College |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Co-founder of Simulate |
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Benjamin Pasternak, born on September 6, 1999, is a young Australian who creates technology businesses. He is famous for co-founding Simulate, an American company that makes new kinds of food. This company has received over $57 million in investments.
Simulate's main product is called NUGGS. It started in July 2019. NUGGS are like chicken nuggets, but they are made from plants. Before Simulate, Ben created an app called Monkey. It was a social app where teenagers could video chat with others who shared their interests.
In 2016, Time magazine called Ben one of the world's most influential teenagers. In 2021, he was also on the Forbes "30 Under 30" list. This list highlights successful people under 30 years old.
Contents
Early Life and First Apps
Ben Pasternak was born in Sydney, Australia. His parents are Anna and Mark Pasternak. He grew up in Vaucluse, a suburb in eastern Sydney. He has a younger brother, Jake, and a younger sister, Maya. Ben went to Moriah College and Reddam House for school.
Ben started making computer programs when he was just 13 years old. He created his first app, Impossible Rush, while he was bored in science class. He shared his idea with an online friend, Austin Valleskey, who was an iOS engineer. Together, they built the game in just a few hours.
Impossible Rush was downloaded millions of times. It even reached number 16 on the US App Store's top charts.
Dropping Out of School
In January 2015, big companies like Facebook and Google offered Ben internships. A few months later, at age 15, he decided to leave high school. He moved to New York City to get funding for his first company.
Ben was one of the youngest people ever to receive venture capital funding for a technology company. This money helps new companies grow.
Ben's Career Journey
In April 2015, Ben Pasternak started a company called Flogg. Flogg was a social networking app where young people could buy and sell items. His early success caught the eye of a company called Binary Capital. They agreed to invest in Flogg even before the app was launched.
Other investors, including Greylock Partners, also joined in. Flogg launched in April 2016. For a short time, it was the number one trending app on the US App Store.
Creating the Monkey App
In late 2016, Ben decided to close Flogg. He then focused on building a new app called Monkey. This app allowed teenagers to video chat with other teens who had similar interests.
In early 2017, Monkey received $2 million in funding. By January 2020, the app had more than 20 million users. It had also enabled over 20 billion video calls. Monkey even reached the number one spot on the US App Store.
In February 2018, another social networking company, Holla, bought Monkey. The amount of money paid for Monkey was not shared publicly.
Starting Simulate
In early 2018, Ben Pasternak co-founded Simulate. The company's main goal is to create a better food system for the world. Their first product, NUGGS, is a plant-based food that tastes like chicken nuggets.
In June 2021, Bloomberg reported that Simulate had raised over $50 million in funding. Investors included Alexis Ohanian's fund, Seven Seven Six, Chris Sacca, McCain Foods, and Jay-Z. This funding valued the company at over $250 million.
Personal Life
Ben Pasternak lives in the Soho neighborhood of New York City.
