Ben Pasternak, the 21 yr old entrepreneur
- Zoe Lim
- Jul 2, 2021
- 3 min read
I was intrigued by the 21 year old entrepreneur who, at such a young age had not only launched three start ups but also possessed the ability to convince venture capitalists to invest significantly in him. Currently into his third start up, SIMULATE, a "tech-optimistic" nutrition company, he is applying tech to food, starting with NUGGS which is a vegan form of the classic chicken nuggets.
I wanted to know what sets him apart and what motivated him. What stood out for me from the article was his entrepreneurial inclinations, his naivete as his strength and the support from his family.
Many successful entrepreneurs share common traits. They display entrepreneurial tendencies and intuition from a young age. They are driven by the process and didn't set out to seek out fame nor fortune. They enjoy building from scratch and are comfortable with starting from "zero". They are sensitive to what's lacking and are able identify opportunities and patterns early on. They want to pave their own path. Hence, they thrive in chaos and disarray but struggle with environment that box them in, e.g. schools or organizations. Although the path is difficult and lonely, they are in their element living as an entrepreneur.
Ben Pasternak possessed these traits. At the age of 14, though he was not an outstanding student, which was not surprising, he invented Impossible Rush, a popular game with more than 2 million downloads. The success of the game surprised him as he didn't set out to seek fame nor success. He intuitively knew how to create something people wanted.
He then went on to launch three start ups, but not without hard work, sacrifice and loneliness. For the pursuit of his dreams, he lived simply. He moved to a small apartment and lived alone in Manhattan when he was only 16. Most of his days were spent alone, except with family friends and his mentors on certain occasions only. He slept on the floor, drew his goals on the wall and ate simple fare for his meals. While many of his counterparts were out having a good time, he would be alone at home building his next app. One would think that with the sacrifice he made, surely his next startup would be a success. The social-media app flopped.
Broke but undeterred, the bold and determined 16 year old Ben convinced more people to fund his next social media app. I would think his strategies must have been sound and valuable enough for investors to commit significant resources, which is by no means a simple feat for anyone, let alone a teenager. This time round, armed with prior experience, the launch of the next social-media app was a success and was sold to a Chinese firm.
The author rightfully pointed out that it was Ben's naivete as a teenager that allowed him to implement fresh new ideas with a "child-like faith" that would later disrupt the economy. He was less unencumbered than adults and that gave him the edge.
Ben is unlike any average teenager. I was moved when the article shared how his parents provided an environment that suited him. They supported his decision to stop schooling to focus on his startups, supported his move to Florida to approach investors as well as "letting him go" to live alone in New York, despite their own concerns and worry. I can imagine the constant criticism from naysayers they had to deal with while silencing their self-doubt.
STIMULATE will definitely not be Ben Pasternak's last start up. His entrepreneur journey has just started.
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