As the world looks for more sustainable protein sources, funding in the alt-meat space has surged.
Through July of this year alone, alt-meat startups have raised $1B+, more than double last year’s haul.
One fast riser: SIMULATE — the startup behind plant-based NUGGS (AKA the “Tesla of chicken nuggets” 😂), has raised $11m+ from investors including frozen food giant McCain Foods.
It’s creating hype like a streetwear brand
The nutrition tech startup recently did a “drop” of Spicy NUGGS, which sold out 1k boxes in 16 minutes and led to a hilarious Instagram exchange with supermodel Bella Hadid.
Another meme-tastic move includes release notes (like software updates) for each new product improvement (i.e., “increased fiber”).
And its pricing page gives options of 2 lbs. ($34.99), 4 lbs. ($44.99) and 420 lbs. (“you don’t need this” LOL).
Nuggets are only the beginning
Like Hadid (we’re basically spirit animals), The Hustle had some fun with the NUGGS social team: we did a chicken nugget taste test vs. McDonald’s and Wendy’s.
We also caught up with SIMULATE’s 20-year-old founder Ben Pasternak, who told us what’s next for his hot startup: hot dogs (DOGGS) and chicken tenders.
