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 Intro01:23 Tom’s background, family, and academic career07:10 Using corncobs as agricultural waste for making sugar11:36 Reducing bulk ingredients' impact on health and climate18:57 Academic research and starting a company21:39 Scaling up a sustainable food tech company22:45 The biggest challenges as CEO27:07 Marketing and branding for a food tech company31:10 Fundraising and team dynamics in a food tech startup