From Academia to Food Tech: Tom Simmons’s Journey to Solve the Sugar Problem

Ever wonder what happens to all the leftover corncobs and wheat stalks after harvest? For most farms, it's waste. But for The Supplant Company, it's the key ingredient in a revolution.

Founded by scientist Tom Simmons, this food tech startup is developing sustainable sugar replacements from agricultural byproducts. Hear how their unique process creates healthier ingredients that mimic sugar's texture while slashing calories.

Discover the challenges of scaling up production and partnering with major brands to cut sugar in everything from muffins to cookies. Get an inside look at their journey from university labs to Silicon Valley pitches.

Most intriguing, learn how harnessing one of our most abundant yet overlooked resources could transform farming and our food system. If you want your future sweets to be less sweet on people and the planet, this story of academic innovation turned industry disruption is one you won't want to miss.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:23 Tom’s background, family, and academic career

07:10 Using corncobs as agricultural waste for making sugar

11:36 Reducing bulk ingredients' impact on health and climate

18:57 Academic research and starting a company

21:39 Scaling up a sustainable food tech company

22:45 The biggest challenges as CEO

27:07 Marketing and branding for a food tech company

31:10 Fundraising and team dynamics in a food tech startup