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When Tom Szaky dropped out of Ivy League Princeton at the age of 19 to start his own business, he had only the two things that would lead to his success, a million plastic bottles and a whole lot of worm poop.
The genius behind Szaky’s product is that it’s completely made from waste. Some say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and in Szaky’s case everyone’s trash has become his millions. Using organic waste digested by worms, TerraCycle brews the poop into a tea and packages it in used, 20oz. soda bottles.
The bottles are collected by school children in a nationwide program called the Bottle Brigade™ campaign. The end result is not only a product which rides the wave of environmental concern that has been dominating the media, but the also provides living proof that business doesn’t always have to be conducted in an earth-scorching, cut-throat manner.
Tom’s ingenuity has paid off. In just five years TerraCycle has grown from a dorm room to store shelves nationwide. Recently TerraCycle was named “The Coolest Little Start-Up in America” by INC. Magazine, who also named Tom “The #1 CEO Under Thirty,” beating out Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. Tom has also been featured on The Evening News with Dan Rather, In The Money on CNN, and on CNBC’s The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.
People love Tom's unrivaled passion for worm poop and making a healthier planet, as well as his light hearted sense of humor in telling his crazy but inspiring story. By this time next year, TerraCycle plans to have over 30 all natural products and possibly a TV Show on the Discovery Channel. This is clearly a company on the rise.
Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1982, Mr. Szaky emigrated from Hungary to Holland. In 1989, he and his family emigrated again from Holland to Canada. From all the traveling in his youth, Szaky gained an entrepreneurial perception that many his age lacked. While in secondary school he started a series of dot.com business, becoming the only kid on his block pulling in a 5 figure income.
