Simulate (formerly Nuggs) makes Nuggs, a plant-based chicken-nugget alternative that launched DTC in Summer 2019. The company rebranded from Nuggs to Simulate and has pushed aggressively into retail over the past six months. Today the product is available in roughly 5,000 retail locations, including Walmart/Sam’s Club, Target, and Whole Foods, and the majority of sales now come from retail rather than DTC. Simulate has begun international expansion with a recent Canada launch and says it is preparing to enter restaurants and fast food. The company will use new funding to expand headcount from about 20 employees to roughly 50 by 2022, with over half of hires focused on engineering. Its total funding is now north of $60 million and the company is valued at $260 million. Simulate, formerly Nuggs, builds direct-to-consumer frozen chicken nugget replacements and iteratively refines formulations via public "release notes." Since launch a bit over a year ago the company has sold 1 million pounds of nuggets and is beginning retail distribution, with frozen nuggets debuting in about 30 Gelson's supermarkets in California. It plans to expand its lineup with spicy nuggets, a chicken patty expected in the next few months, and a hot dog product called DOGGS slated for the fourth quarter. Founder Ben Pasternak has discussed potential sales options such as a beta-testing subscription for highly engaged customers. The company rebranded to Simulate to reflect broader product ambitions and recently hired Thierry Saint-Denis, formerly senior director of research and innovation at Danone, as CTO. Saint-Denis brings technical experience and more than 14 patents related to functional ingredients, probiotics and enzymes, and the business has attracted both food-industry and venture investors.

Total raised

$54M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Jun 2021