Beating Plastics: Platform Strategy for Sustainable Brands

Simplifyber approached their material development by first identifying who they needed to beat - the plastics industry - then reverse-engineering their entire system to compete at that scale. Too many sustainable materials companies build innovative products without considering how they'll cross the chasm to compete with entrenched alternatives. Map your competitive landscape before you build, not after.

Rather than competing in packaging or single-use products where sustainable alternatives face brutal price pressure, Simplifyber deliberately targets durable goods like footwear and automotive interiors. This positioning allows them to capture value while their sustainable attributes provide differentiation. When entering crowded markets, find segments where your differentiators command premium pricing before scaling into volume plays.

Simplifyber isn't just selling materials—they're creating a razor-and-blades model where they sell custom re-engineered equipment and consumable material slurries. This approach mirrors how platform technologies from printers to coffee machines create ongoing revenue streams. If you're building proprietary technology, design business models that capitalize on recurring consumption rather than one-time purchases.

By engineering a family of materials (soft to rigid) that work with their equipment system, Simplifyber enables customers to create applications they've never imagined. True platform technologies succeed when third parties build value you couldn't predict. If your product can enable creativity beyond your own use cases, design systems that make that experimentation easy and scalable.

With a 20-person team, Simplifyber has had to part ways with nine people who couldn't operate in resource-constrained environments. Phil's advice: startup culture requires people who "do anything to get shit done" without waiting for perfect conditions or bureaucratic approval. In fast-growth environments, culture fit around execution velocity matters more than traditional industry experience. Hold people accountable to clear expectations and move quickly when they don't fit.

When scaling production, Simplifyber evaluated five machine builders across injection molding, compression molding, and thermoforming before re-engineering a thermoforming solution. They didn't rush to the first option but systematically explored paths while managing board expectations. For major operational decisions, invest in thorough evaluation processes that balance speed with avoiding costly wrong turns.