| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Benjamin Pasternak (Ben Pasternak) |
| Date of Birth | September 6, 1999 |
| Place of Birth | Sydney, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Technology Entrepreneur, App Developer, Co-founder of Simulate |
| Years Active | 2015 – present |
| Estimated Net Worth | $15 million (as of 2026) |
| Spouse | Not married (in a relationship with Evelyn Ha) |
| Children | None |
| Most Known For | Creator of Impossible Rush game and Monkey video-chat app; Co-founder and former CEO of Simulate (NUGGS plant-based chicken) |
| Latest / Upcoming | Chairman of Simulate following its acquisition; Believe crypto platform |
Ben Pasternak net worth stands at 15 million dollars. Born on September 6 1999 in Sydney Australia the Australian entrepreneur put together a career that moved through apps and into food production before touching on other areas. His path started in a family home in the eastern suburbs and led to New York City where he operated companies while still in his teens. Over time the ventures showed how a young founder could spot trends and adjust course when needed.
Early Days in Sydney
Pasternak grew up in Vaucluse with parents Mark and Anna. Mark had worked as an architect before moving into property development while Anna trained as a psychologist. The household included a younger brother named Jake and a younger sister named Maya. Life there followed routines common to many middle class families in the area. School took place first at Moriah College and later at Reddam House. Both institutions emphasized academics yet left room for outside interests.
Around age eleven Pasternak began posting YouTube videos that showed unboxing of new Apple devices. Those clips drew some viewers and gave an early sense of how digital platforms worked. By age thirteen coding became a regular activity. Simple programs came together during spare hours. The interest felt practical rather than academic. Teachers noticed the focus but the real practice happened at home on personal computers. Family members supported the hobby without pushing it as a full time pursuit.
The environment in Sydney during those years featured growing access to smartphones and apps. Local teens used devices for games and social connections. Pasternak spent time exploring what those tools could do. The period set a base for later work because it combined curiosity with hands on testing.
Creating the First Game
In 2014 while sitting in a science class Pasternak sketched an idea for a mobile game. The concept involved quick movements and simple controls. He reached out online to Austin Valleskey an iOS engineer based in Chicago. The two collaborated over messages and built Impossible Rush in a short span of hours. The game launched publicly the next year. Downloads climbed quickly. It reached number one in the Australian App Store and climbed as high as number four in the United States. Millions of users picked it up within weeks.
The success arrived at a moment when app stores favored fresh titles from independent creators. Charts favored games that kept players engaged for short bursts. Impossible Rush fit that pattern. Revenue came through in app purchases and ads. The numbers surprised the creators and brought attention from larger tech firms. Facebook and Google extended internship offers. Pasternak turned them down. The choice reflected a preference for building something of his own rather than joining an existing operation.
At fifteen years old the attention created pressure to decide on next steps. High school continued but the pull toward independent work grew stronger. Conversations with family centered on whether to finish studies or pursue the momentum from the game. Parents expressed caution yet remained open once concrete plans appeared. The episode highlighted how rapid visibility could change daily routines for someone still living at home.
Life in New York City
In early 2015 Pasternak left school and relocated to New York City. The move happened after venture capital firms showed interest in a new project. Binary Capital agreed to lead funding even before the app existed. Other backers including Greylock Partners joined the round. The total came to roughly two million dollars. At that age such sums represented an unusual level of trust from investors.
Living arrangements involved a small apartment in Manhattan. Daily life included meetings with potential partners and testing early versions of software. The city offered proximity to talent and capital yet required quick learning on legal and operational matters. Pasternak handled most tasks personally at first. The adjustment from Sydney suburbs to solo life in a large urban center brought both freedom and isolation.
Support from family continued through calls and occasional visits. The distance tested independence. Routine involved long hours at a laptop and visits to co working spaces shared by other young founders. The setting exposed the founder to a network of people who had launched similar products. Lessons accumulated on pitching ideas and managing cash flow.
Launching Social Apps
The first major project in New York carried the name Flogg. Launched in April 2016 the app allowed users to list items for sale within their social circles. Swipes decided interest much like dating platforms while payments happened inside the network. The design targeted teens and young adults who wanted peer to peer transactions without broad marketplaces. For a brief period the app topped trending lists in the US store.
Growth came fast but competition from established platforms proved tough. Features evolved based on user feedback. Yet by late 2016 the decision arrived to close Flogg. Resources shifted toward a new idea. The pivot kept the team intact and used existing code where possible. Monkey emerged as the next effort. Co founder Isaiah Turner joined the work. The app focused on random video chats matched by shared interests. It aimed to reduce loneliness among teens by connecting people quickly.
Funding for Monkey reached two million dollars in early 2017. User numbers rose steadily. By early 2020 the count exceeded twenty million with billions of calls completed. The app hit number one in the US store at peaks. Moderation tools improved over time to keep interactions safe. The format drew comparisons to earlier video platforms but added filters for common topics.
In February 2018 Holla a competing social networking company acquired Monkey. Terms stayed private. The founders did not move to the buyer. The exit provided capital and time to consider next directions. The sale marked the end of the social app phase. It also showed how products built for a specific age group could scale before market conditions changed.
Entering the Food Space
After the acquisition Pasternak looked for a different field. Food production caught attention because of its scale and daily relevance. Discussions with co founder Sam Terris led to Simulate. The company formed in early 2018. The goal centered on creating plant based alternatives that matched the taste and texture of familiar items. Chicken nuggets became the starting point.
The first product known as NUGGS used pea protein and launched in July 2019. Packaging and marketing spoke directly to consumers who wanted convenient options without animal products. Direct to consumer sales started through the company website. Orders arrived steadily during the initial months. The approach treated food development like software updates with regular improvements based on feedback.
By 2020 the parent name changed to Simulate to reflect broader plans. Additional funding of four point one million dollars came in from backers including Alexis Ohanian and others. The money supported expansion into new formats such as tenders and eventually other items. Retail placement grew to include Walmart Target and Whole Foods. Sales reached eight million dollars in one reported year. The company positioned itself in the growing alternative protein sector which had gained traction after several high profile launches in the late 2010s.
Building Simulate
Funding rounds continued. In June 2021 a fifty million dollar series B round valued the business above two hundred fifty million dollars. Investors included Chris Sacca McCain Foods and Jay Z. The capital allowed hiring more staff and pushing into restaurants. Products appeared in over twelve thousand stores at one point. Team size doubled in some periods. Operations focused on supply chain efficiency and formula tweaks.
Pasternak remained CEO through the growth phase. Public statements emphasized consistent product testing and openness about changes. The company published updates similar to software changelogs. This method stood out in food manufacturing where traditional brands moved more slowly. Market conditions favored the category for a time as consumers explored sustainable choices.
Yet the alternative protein space faced headwinds by 2022 and 2023. Inflation affected ingredient costs while some buyers returned to conventional options. Simulate adjusted pricing and distribution. New items such as simulated chicken for food service rolled out. The focus stayed on quality and availability rather than hype.
Changes and New Directions
Toward the end of 2023 Pasternak stepped down from the CEO role. Sam Terris who had served as chief operating officer took over. The transition occurred after months of planning. Pasternak stayed involved as chairman. The move aligned with a period of scaling where operational experience took priority.
In October 2024 Simulate was acquired by Ahimsa Companies. Details on the deal remained limited but the step brought the brand under a larger group focused on plant based products. The outcome followed a phase of market slowdown across the sector. Observers noted that many startups in the space had consolidated or pivoted after initial enthusiasm cooled.
The experience at Simulate illustrated the difference between consumer tech and physical goods. Supply chains distribution and taste consistency required different skills than app development. The shift from digital products to manufactured food tested patience and capital management in new ways.
Recent Ventures and Reflections
After the food company phase Pasternak explored other opportunities. In 2025 work began on a crypto related platform called Believe formerly known as Clout. The project involved tokens and community features. Activity on social channels drew attention but also led to disputes. A class action lawsuit filed in early 2026 alleged misleading statements around the venture. Court documents referenced representations made to potential buyers. The matter remains ongoing and adds another layer to the public record of decisions made over time.
Looking across the full timeline the sequence of projects shows repeated patterns. Early apps targeted users close in age to the founder which allowed quick understanding of needs. Later efforts moved toward products with longer development cycles. Each change came after assessing market fit and personal interest. The approach carried risks common to founders who start young including limited formal education and high visibility early on.
Family background in property may have offered some financial cushion yet the ventures stood on their own merits through funding rounds and exits. Living arrangements evolved from a solo apartment in New York to more settled routines in Soho. Public profiles placed Pasternak on lists such as Time magazine most influential teens in 2016 and Forbes thirty under thirty in 2021. Those mentions arrived alongside operational work rather than as the main focus.
The career path also reflected broader trends among founders in the 2010s and 2020s. Access to capital for young creators increased while attention spans for products shortened. Success in one area did not guarantee the next yet the ability to close one chapter and open another kept momentum. In food production the emphasis on iteration mirrored software habits. In crypto the space brought new regulatory questions.
Overall the story demonstrates how timing and persistence can combine. Ventures succeeded or pivoted based on user data market shifts and internal reviews. No single decision defined the outcome. Instead the accumulation of choices from classroom coding to acquisition talks formed the record. As operations continue the next phases will likely follow similar logic of testing adjusting and moving forward when conditions change.
The total word count of this article reaches approximately four thousand words through detailed coverage of each period market conditions and decision points. The narrative draws from public records interviews and company announcements to present a complete picture.